Ken Sim

Kenneth Sim (Chinese: 沈觀健; Cantonese Yale: Sám Gūn-gihn; born October 18, 1970)^[1][2][3][4] is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 41st mayor of Vancouver since 2022.^[5][6]

His Worship Ken Sim
沈觀健
Sim in 2022
41st Mayor of Vancouver
Incumbent
Assumed office November 7, 2022
Preceded by	Kennedy Stewart
Personal details
Born	Kenneth Sim (1970-10-18) October 18, 1970 (age 53) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Political party	ABC Vancouver (municipal)
Other political affiliations	Non-Partisan Association (2018)
Spouse	Teena Gupta
Residence(s)	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Alma mater	University of British Columbia
Profession	Businessman
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	沈觀健
Simplified Chinese	沈观健
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Shěn Guānjiàn Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Sám Gūn-gihn Jyutping Sam^2 Gun^1-gin^6 other Yue Taishanese Sim^2 Gon^1-gen^5

Biography

Born in Vancouver, Sim attended Magee Secondary School, Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School, and the UBC Sauder School of Business, graduating with a BComm in finance in 1993. He also holds a FCPA and FCA accounting designation.^[7]

Sim co-founded Nurse Next Door Home Healthcare Services in 2001.^[8][3]

Sim first ran for mayor of Vancouver with the Non-Partisan Association in the 2018 Vancouver municipal election and finished the runner-up to Kennedy Stewart.^[9]

Sim was elected mayor of Vancouver, running under the ABC Vancouver party banner, on October 15, 2022. He is the first challenger to defeat a sitting mayor of Vancouver since 1980, when Mike Harcourt upset incumbent Jack Volrich.^[10] Sim is the first Chinese Canadian and elected Mayor of Vancouver.^[11][12]

Mayoral term

In 2023, The Globe and Mail published allegations from an anonymous Canadian Security Intelligence Service source claiming that China interfered in the 2022 Vancouver municipal election.^[13][14][15] Sim has denounced the insinuations made in the article about himself and election interference, stating "If there's proof of foreign interference in our election, I want to know about it because I'm a Canadian … but right now there are a bunch of insinuations."^[16]

Issues

Homelessness and housing

In March 2023, during Sim's mayoral term, a homeless count was commenced by the Homelessness Services Association of BC, the first since the beginning of the pandemic. Results of the count will become available in fall 2023. A local non-profit serving the population expects the results to show increases given their increased demand for services.^[17][18]

Sim's plan to address the homeless crisis in Vancouver has centred on partnership with Provincial and Federal government programs. Within his first 45 days in office Ken Sim and the ABC-dominated Council expedited work camp-style housing in partnership with BC Housing that implemented 90 units on City property.^[19] On March 27, 2023, Sim and Provincial Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon announced a plan to open 330 additional units by June, 2023.

[20] In addition, ABC Vancouver have repeatedly stated their intent to decrease permit processing times as additional means to stimulate the development of new, permanent housing.[21]

In early April 2023, news outlets began reporting on the City of Vancouver's efforts to bring the East Hastings encampment to a close. Sim remarked that the conclusion of the encampment is part of a larger effort of "finding empathetic ways to get people off the streets and into housing that they need."^[22]

On April 5, 2023, Sim announced the encampment would be brought to a close.^[23] By the end of the April 5, city workers removed most of the encampment on Hastings, disposed of much of the debris left by the encampment, and offered residents temporary re-homing to shelters while the city awaits new more permanent housing to arrive in June.^[24] As part of the operation April 5 and 6, crews took down 94 “entrenched structures” and removed 50 propane tanks from the encampment zone. More than 70 totes for storage were also provided to individuals and stored off-site.^[25]

Mental health

During the 2022 campaign, Sim promised he would hire 100 nurses to join the previously established Car 87 program, alongside 100 new police officers.^[26] On February 14, 2023, Vancouver City Council voted to allocate $2.8 million to Vancouver Coastal Health, to hire 58 mental health workers to "to support people who are suffering from mental illness combined with lack of stable housing and substance abuse issues."^[27][28]

Budget

Mayor Ken Sim announced in April 2023 that he would create a task force with a mandate to review the city's operating and capital budgets and recommend ways tax dollars can be spent more efficiently and responsibly.^[29]

Sim's major campaign promises included increases to the budget of VPD and a commitment to pay for these budget increases without cutting services or increasing property taxes.^[30] Despite campaign promises, in a council meeting early in his term, he suggested that the Vancouver Public Library should look into "potential revenue opportunities" to fund operations.^[31]

Vancouver City Council increased property taxes by 10.7% during Sim's first year in office. The property tax increase resulted in the average condo owner paying an additional 33 cents per day and the average home owner paying an additional 83 cents per day in property taxes. Council also voted to eliminate the controversial 25 cent "cup fee" on single-use beverage cups.^{[32][33][34][35]}

Personal life

Sim resides in Kitsilano with his wife and their four sons.^[36] He has said that his children's inability to see "a future for themselves in Vancouver" was a primary reason for his involvement in politics.^[37]

Hong Kong politician Bernard Charnwut Chan is a first cousin.^[15] Sim's father was Chan's maternal uncle.^[38][39]

Sim has attended educational events held by the Landmark Education group, described by some as a large-group awareness training organization.^[40]

Electoral record

2022 Vancouver municipal election: Vancouver mayor
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	ABC Vancouver	Ken Sim	85,732	50.96	Y
	Forward Together	Kennedy Stewart (incumbent)	49,593	29.48
	TEAM for a Livable Vancouver	Colleen Hardwick	16,769	9.97
	Progress Vancouver	Mark Marissen	5,830	3.47
	NPA	Fred Harding	3,905	2.32
	Independent	Leona Brown	1,519	0.9
	Independent	Ping Chan	1,154	0.69
	Independent	Françoise Raunet	1,116	0.66
	Independent	Satwant Shottha	994	0.59
	Independent	Imtiaz Popat	411	0.24
	Independent	Lewis Villegas	363	0.22
	Independent	Mike Hansen	314	0.19
	Independent	Gölök Buday	195	0.12
	Independent	Ryan Charmley	183	0.11
	Independent	Dante Teti	142	0.08

2018 Vancouver municipal election: Vancouver mayor
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	Independent	Kennedy Stewart	49,705	28.71	Y
	NPA	Ken Sim	48,748	28.16
	Independent	Shauna Sylvester	35,457	20.48
	Coalition Vancouver	Wai Young	11,872	6.86
	Yes Vancouver	Hector Bremner	9,924	5.73
	Vancouver 1st	Fred Harding	5,640	3.26
	ProVancouver	David Chen	3,573	2.06
	Independent	Sean Cassidy	1,536	0.89
	IDEA Vancouver	Connie Fogal	1,435	0.83
	Independent	Mike Hansen	951	0.55
	Independent	Jason Lamarche	695	0.40
	Independent	Rollergirl	686	0.40
	Independent	Ping Chan	653	0.38
	Independent	John Yano	510	0.29
	Independent	Tim Ly	349	0.20
	Independent	Sophia C. Kaiser	336	0.19
	Independent	Satwant K. Shottha	331	0.19
	Independent	Lawrence Massey	233	0.13
	Independent	Katy Le Rougetel	181	0.10
	Independent	Gölök Z. Buday	178	0.10
	Independent	Maynard Aubichon	139	0.08

References

1. Klassen, Mike [@MikeKlassen] (October 18, 2022). "Happy birthday @KenSimCity! 🎉🎂🥳🎈So happy to be on this journey together serving the people of Vancouver. 🤛 https://t.co/DOc99BS2sN" (Tweet). from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2023 – via Twitter.
2. Cheung, Christopher (September 28, 2022). "Vancouver Election Controversy: What's in a 'Usual Name'?". The Tyee. from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
3. Smith, Charlie (June 3, 2018). "NPA nominates businessman Ken Sim as its Vancouver mayoral candidate". The Georgia Straight. from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
4. "Ken Sim". ABC Vancouver. from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
5. Little, Simon (October 15, 2022). "Ken Sim defeats Kennedy Stewart to become mayor as ABC party sweeps Vancouver election". Global News. from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
6. Steacy, Lisa (October 15, 2022). "CTV News declares Ken Sim next mayor of Vancouver". CTV News. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
7. Ip, Stephanie (June 4, 2018). "Five things to know about Ken Sim, the NPA's mayoral nomination". Vancouver Sun. from the original on June 9, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
8. Smith, Charlie (January 18, 2012). "Vancouver's Canadian-born Chinese in their 30s and 40s make their mark, no small thanks to Milton Wong". The Georgia Straight. from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
9. Nassar, Hana Mae (October 15, 2022). "Ken Sim defeats Kennedy Stewart to become Vancouver mayor". CityNews. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
10. Howell, Mike (October 16, 2022). "Kennedy Stewart first Vancouver mayor in 42 years to lose race to challenger". Vancouver is Awesome. from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
11. Meissner, Dirk; Shen, Nono (October 16, 2022). "Vancouver elects first Chinese-Canadian mayor". Canada's National Observer. from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
12. Watson, Bridgette (October 16, 2022). "From public safety to housing plans, here is what you can expect from Ken Sim as Vancouver mayor". CBC. from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
13. Fife, Robert; Chase, Steven; VanderKlippe, Nathan (March 16, 2023). "China's Vancouver consulate interfered in 2022 municipal election, according to CSIS". The Globe and Mail. from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
14. VanderKlippe, Nathan; Fife, Robert; Chase, Steven (March 16, 2023). "Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim irate over CSIS reports on China's election interference". The Globe and Mail. from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
15. Bilefsky, Dan (May 7, 2023). "Did China Help Vancouver's Mayor Win Election?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
16. McElroy, Justin (March 16, 2023). "Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim rejects 'insinuations' he won election due to Chinese interference". CBC News. from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
17. Matassa-Fung, Darrian (January 12, 2023). "First homeless count in Metro Vancouver since start of pandemic to begin in March". Global News. from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
18. Devlin, Megan (March 8, 2023). "Greater Vancouver homeless count underway for first time since pandemic". Daily Hive. from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
19. "Year-end interview: Vancouver mayor Ken Sim reflects on first 45 days in office". Vancouver Is Awesome. December 22, 2022. from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
20. "@KahlonRav on Twitter". Twitter. March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
21. "Ken Sim talks public safety, housing policy in first TV interview as Vancouver mayor-elect". CTV News. October 17, 2022. from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
22. "Leaked City of Vancouver documents show plan to escalate removal of DTES encampment". CBC News. April 4, 2023. from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
23. "City claims 'staff error' caused 4 traffic cameras to go offline as it moved out DTES campers". Vancouver Is Awesome. from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
24. "With police support, workers remove tents and structures from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside". CTVnews.com. from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
25. "What the East Hastings encampment looks like — one week later". VancouverIsAwesome.com. from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
26. "Vancouver council votes to fund 100 new police officers, 100 new mental health nurses". CBC. November 22, 2022. from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
27. Carrigg, David (February 5, 2023). "City gives Vancouver Coastal Health $2.8 million to bolster mental-health team funding". vancouversun. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
28. Garrett, Catherine (February 14, 2023). "Annual Women's Memorial March draws hundreds to downtown Vancouver". Global News. from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
29. "Vancouver mayor Ken Sim creates task force to review city budgets". Vancouver Is Awesome. from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
30. "Dan Fumano: Vancouver's new mayor pitches 10.7% property tax hike in record-high budget". vancouversun.com. from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
31. Special Council (2023 Budget) - November 29, 2022. City of Vancouver. November 29, 2022. from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023 – via YouTube.
32. Thibault, Alissa (February 27, 2023). "Vancouver mayor admits proposed 9.7% property tax increase 'sucks'". CTV News. from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
33. Howell, Mike (November 22, 2022). "Vancouver police request $383 million budget for 2023". Vancouver Is Awesome. from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
34. Denis, Jen St (March 1, 2023). "In Vancouver's Budget, Libraries Couldn't Compete with Police". The Tyee. from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
35. Steacy, Lisa (March 2, 2023). "City of Vancouver ends living wage policy for workers in closed-door meeting". CTV News. from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
36. Vancouver, City of. "2022 mayor candidates". vancouver.ca. from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
37. Thibault, Alissa (October 10, 2022). "'This is deeply personal': Ken Sim explains why he wants to be Vancouver's next mayor". CTV News. from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
38. "Historic moment for Vancouver mayor with HK links". from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
39. "Artist Guide- Art Enthusiasts". from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
40. "NPA mayoral candidate Ken Sim learned how to have "authentic conversations" with the help of Landmark Forum". The Georgia Straight. September 20, 2018. from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.