National

Vancouver council votes against sanctioning Mayor Ken Sim after harassment finding

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 03 Jun, 2026 09:11 AM

Vancouver's city council has voted not to sanction Mayor Ken Sim after he was found to have misused the influence of his office and harassed a councillor.

All six of Sim's ABC party members voted on Tuesday against acting on the findings of the Integrity Commissioner's investigation into Sim's actions against Councillor Sean Orr.

The other four councillors, including Orr, voted for sanctioning Sim, while the mayor did not vote after declaring a conflict in the matter.

The investigator's report released in May centred on a news conference by Sim at City Hall in April 2025 and a social media post by the mayor later that year, which represented Orr as antisemitic.

The report found Sim's criticisms violated the council's code of conduct as they were akin to a personal call-out of Orr rather than protecting Vancouver's Jewish community.

The investigator, Jamie Pytel, recommended that council to ask Sim to apologize, or to consider possible sanctions, but Sim said he disagreed with the findings and his comments were part of his duties to "stand shoulder-to-shoulder" with the Jewish community.

Sim is being sued for defamation by Orr over a different news conference at City Hall in which he falsely claimed Orr had handed out drugs on Christmas Day.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

International grads more likely to hold jobs below their education levels: StatCan

International students who graduated from Canadian schools are more likely to be underemployed than their Canadian peers — and many are living with lower incomes as a result. Statistics Canada's national graduates survey looked at the employment rate for more than 83,000 international students who graduated in 2020, remained in Canada and did not pursue further education.

International grads more likely to hold jobs below their education levels: StatCan

B.C. homicide team investigates beating death of a 19-year-old man

Homicide investigators are looking into an attack on a 19-year-old man that started in Abbotsford, B.C., then led officers to Crescent Beach in Surrey more than 45 kilometres away. Officers were called on Jan. 27 to an area on Victoria Street in Abbotsford when witnesses were reporting that a man was assaulted and then taken away in a vehicle.

B.C. homicide team investigates beating death of a 19-year-old man

Booing of U.S. anthem continues at Canadian sporting events despite tariff pause

Canadian sports fans continued to voice their displeasure at American economic policies on Tuesday despite a pause in a trade war between Canada and the United States. Fans at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena booed during the U.S. national anthem before the Raptors hosted the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

Booing of U.S. anthem continues at Canadian sporting events despite tariff pause

B.C. fast-tracking 18 mining and energy projects in face of U.S. tariff threat

The British Columbia government has released a list of 18 critical mineral and energy projects worth roughly $20 billion that it said it's working to accelerate in the face of ongoing tariff threats from the United States. The list contains mining projects that have received pushback from some B.C. and Alaskan First Nations groups, including Eskay Creek, Highland Valley and Red Chris mines.

B.C. fast-tracking 18 mining and energy projects in face of U.S. tariff threat

Fraudsters try a new method to steal bank cards in Langley

Langley R-C-M-P are warning the public about a new attempt to steal bank cards by fraudsters. The scheme includes calling the victim first to warn them someone is trying to tamper with or compromise their card, then arriving at the victim's house to "collect" the tainted card.

Fraudsters try a new method to steal bank cards in Langley

Edmonton city council votes to restrict the sale of knives in convenience stores

City council has passed a bylaw that restricts the sale of knives in Edmonton convenience stores. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi says convenient and quick access to knives makes the community less safe.