Four Vancouver city councillors claim to have been unfairly characterized by another councillor in a Chinese-language video circulating widely online.
Couns. Rebecca Bligh, Pete Fry, Lucy Maloney, and Sean Orr held a media event Tuesday afternoon, expressing their concerns with the rhetoric in a video shared by Coun. Lenny Zhou.
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“In that video, an ABC councillor refers to supportive housing as ‘drug houses,’ warns that restarting projects would bring back street chaos, characterizing Coun. Bligh as an extremist, and alleges that some non-ABC councillors are drug users and distribute drugs,” Bligh explained.
In a statement after the media event, Fry detailed that Zhou posted the five-minute video to the social media platform WeChat. He says Zhou speaks in Mandarin, attempting to rally viewers behind the ABC party.
Bligh says the statements in the video are “extraordinary” and have the potential to shape how residents understand city policy and view elected officials, after it garnered over 1,000 approvals and 1,700 reposts.
Bligh says Zhou’s actions stray from legitimate political discussion.
“Personal allegations and inflammatory characterizations move us away from debate and toward division. Every elected official takes an oath of office to be truthful and to uphold the public trust. We also have a code of conduct designed to ensure the public debate remains respectful and responsible.”
She says councillors who don’t belong to the governing party have raised concerns about it failing to uphold those standards.
“This video is notable because we are watching it unfold in real time. It is recorded, it is visible, it is shareable, it is spreading. But the broader concern is about the political culture. It reflects that Vancouverites are asking serious questions. Are our streets safer? Is housing becoming more affordable? Is there a clear long-term plan? And they deserve disciplined leadership focused on results,” said Bligh.
The four councillors are concerned with how the video might affect the upcoming municipal election in October.
“If we want that election to be fair and credible, we must be willing to call out conduct that falls below the standard the public expects.”
In a written statement to 1130 NewsRadio, Coun. Zhou says that the video includes incorrect information.
He was trying to outline his opposition to a motion on supportive housing. He says that there are members of the council who support the liberalization of drug use in the city, which he fundamentally disagrees with.
Zhou says that he is apologizing for his comments, retracting his statement, and taking down the video from the app.
In the same statement, Mayor Ken Sim says that Zhou is taking responsibility and thanked him for acknowledging his mistake.
However, Sim does not mention any potential review, nor does he or Zhou’s statements directly respond to claims of drug use on the council.
