Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is still mired in the scandal over his false accusations that fellow council member Sean Orr had distributed drugs.
At an unrelated news conference on Wednesday, Sim says that what matters is not whether someone makes a mistake, but how they respond.
“Sometimes we really step in it, and I really stepped in it, and people make mistakes, leaders make mistakes,” he said in front of reporters outside Granville Street in Downtown Vancouver.
“If there’s a mistake made or whatever, first of all, acknowledge it. But to take it as a learning opportunity to make sure that we don’t repeat history, but also to get better, and I’m committed to that work.”
The reason this became such an issue in the first place is that Sim did not take responsibility when it was thought that the misinformation had come solely from ABC Coun. Lenny Zhou.
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Last week, Zhou was called out for accusing non-ABC council members of distributing drugs, and Sim welcomed Zhou’s apology.
“He wants to do right by the city when it comes to issues like supportive housing, as it comes to street disorder, as it comes to cultural issues, especially with the
Chinese community, and I think that should be celebrated,” Sim said back then.
While Sim praised Zhou for taking responsibility, he did not mention that he had actually said the same thing himself.
Some in the Chinese community say that they deserve better than just a written statement.
For many of the seniors that I work with, when they’re hearing their news, it’s very different hearing it from a reporter versus hearing it directly from the mayor or from Coun. Lenny Zhou directly,” said Mike Tan, Chinese community advocate.
Tan has volunteered for the past 10 years, helping Chinese seniors in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and is now seeking nomination for the Vancouver City Council.
Sim was also asked if this would impact his re-election campaign in this year’s municipal election.
“I definitely intend to run for mayor again,” Sim said on Wednesday.
Tan says that Sim still has plenty to work to do to repair the trust in the community, and the mayor is not alone.
“Vancouver deserves the truth no matter language, and we deserve more from our elected officials,” he added.
When misinformation is shared for political advantage, there will be calls to correct the record for the same audience.
“It is important that the other ABC counsellor step up and speak out and condemn this type of behaviour from our mayor,” Tan said.
But Sims’ colleagues seem satisfied with what he said so far.
“I support his decision. I think when people make a mistake, that’s a classic way to make that official apology,” Zhou said during Wednesday’s news conference.
– With files from Jan Schuermann.