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

Possible scenarios that could play out in Ottawa as the Liberal government teeters

With MPs set to return to the House of Commons on Jan. 27, the Liberal grip on power appears tenuous. The NDP, which has been a steady ally of the minority government since the 2021 election, is no longer planning to support the Liberals.

Possible scenarios that could play out in Ottawa as the Liberal government teeters

China slams Canada human-rights criticism as 'hypocritical farce of double standards'

China is accusing Canada of hypocrisy for criticizing Beijing's human-rights record, pointing to issues faced by Indigenous Peoples. The blowback comes after Ottawa sanctioned eight Chinese officials it accuses of "grave human rights violations" against ethnic and religious minorities, and voiced concern about democracy in Hong Kong.

China slams Canada human-rights criticism as 'hypocritical farce of double standards'

Canada primed for more severe wildfire days, driven by dry forest fuel: study

Canadian forests are increasingly primed for severe, uncontrollable wildfires, a study published Thursday said, underlining what the authors described as a pressing need to proactively mitigate the "increased threat posed by climate change." The study by Canadian researchers, published in the peer-reviewed journal Science, looked at Canadian fire severity from 1981 to 2020.

Canada primed for more severe wildfire days, driven by dry forest fuel: study

B.C. property values flat across much of province, especially in urban centres

BC Assessment says the newly updated property values, as of July 1, 2024, show almost all Lower Mainland communities within a three per cent rise or decline from the previous year.

B.C. property values flat across much of province, especially in urban centres

Calgary army reservist and museum director killed while ice climbing in B.C.

A Calgary army reserve officer was killed in an ice-climbing accident in eastern British Columbia over the holidays. Maj. Dave Peabody died while off-duty on Dec. 26 in Kootenay National Park, the military said Thursday.

Calgary army reservist and museum director killed while ice climbing in B.C.

Calgary police charge massage therapist with assault of client

Police in Calgary have charged a massage therapist with assaulting a client almost two years ago. They say the woman had a session booked in her home in January 2023.