VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has apologized to Coun. Sean Orr for falsely accusing him of distributing illegal drugs on Christmas Day, but the mayor has offered no explanation for the origin of the claim or how it came to be shared publicly.
The controversy erupted this week after a video surfaced showing Sim making the accusation during an on-the-record briefing with Chinese-language media at city hall on February 6. In the footage, published online Thursday by CityNews, Sim stated into a row of microphones: “We have a councillor, Sean Orr, just this Christmas, who was handing out illegal drugs on Christmas Day to people on the streets.” He added, “So, if you like getting free illegal drugs, you probably don’t like me or ABC because we fight against that.”
Orr, a member of the left-leaning Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) who joined Vancouver city council in a 2023 byelection, immediately denied the allegation. Reached by Postmedia News on Friday, Orr said he was not even in Vancouver last Christmas and has never distributed illegal drugs, either in December or at any other time. “It was patently false,” Orr told reporters after being played the recording for the first time Thursday by a Canadian Press journalist.
The incident follows a similar accusation made by Sim's ABC party colleague, Coun. Lenny Zhou, in a Chinese-language video posted online the previous week. Zhou described non-ABC councillors, including Orr, as drug users and dealers. On Tuesday, Vancouver's four councillors outside the ABC party issued a statement condemning Zhou for sharing “inflammatory and harmful misinformation.” Zhou retracted his comments within hours and apologized, prompting Sim to thank him publicly “for acknowledging his mistake and taking responsibility for sharing information that was not accurate.”
However, the revelation of Sim's own earlier statement shifted the focus to the mayor. Orr said Sim called him Thursday after the video's release to apologize, but when Orr asked where the mayor had obtained the information, Sim declined to provide details. The Mayor’s Office did not respond to Postmedia’s requests for an interview or a written statement on Thursday afternoon or Friday.
During an unrelated public event Friday, reporters confronted Sim about the matter, leading to what one observer described as a surreal exchange. Over approximately three and a half minutes, as captured on video by CTV reporter Isabella Zavarise and CityNews reporter Joe Sadowski, Sim repeatedly emphasized his apology without addressing substantive questions. When asked how the mistake occurred, Sim replied: “You know, at the end of the day, I called Coun. Orr, and I did apologize for my comments.”
Pressed further on whether he planned to repeat the response, Sim said: “You know, I truly believe that I apologized. Look: I called Coun. Orr and I apologized for my comments.” Inquiries about rectifying the issue with the Chinese community or explaining the misinformation shared with them elicited the same refrain. At one point, Sim stated: “It’s a matter between Coun. Orr and myself,” using variations of the word “apology” about 20 times, according to Sadowski.
Orr's public stance on drug policy has long been a point of contention in Vancouver's political landscape. For years before his election, Orr built a profile through commentary in local publications and on social media, including his Twitter account, where he discussed drug policy irreverently and shared experiences with his own past drug use. He clarified this week that he currently uses only alcohol and caffeine but has used other substances in the past.
“Obviously, I support harm reduction, and I’m calling for a regulated, safe supply,” Orr said Friday. He also advocates for low-barrier supportive housing for people who use drugs and expanded treatment options for those seeking to quit. Orr has publicly backed the Drug User Liberation Front, a harm reduction group whose leaders were convicted last year on drug trafficking charges for testing and distributing illicit drugs at cost to members of a “compassion club.”
Green Party Coun. Pete Fry, one of the non-ABC councillors, criticized Sim's actions as indicative of poor leadership. “The fact that Ken would so cavalierly throw a councillor under the bus with a malicious set of lies, and so cavalierly allow Lenny Zhou to take the fall,” Fry said. “It definitely says a lot, in that one video, about the kind of leader Ken has been.”
Both Fry and Orr drew parallels to U.S. political tactics, comparing Sim's use of misinformation to that of former President Donald Trump. “In using misinformation for the purpose of dividing and scaring people,” Orr and Fry said separately, expressing concerns about the episode's implications for Vancouver's municipal election this year. Zhou, reached Friday, declined an interview request via text, citing a meeting, and did not respond to follow-up questions about issuing a correction on WeChat, the platform where he originally posted his video.
The timing of the accusations comes amid ongoing debates over Vancouver's approach to the overdose crisis, which has claimed thousands of lives in British Columbia in recent years. Sim's ABC party, which holds a majority on council, has pursued policies emphasizing enforcement and treatment, contrasting with harm reduction advocates like Orr. While some voters, including in Vancouver's Chinese-speaking communities, may oppose Orr's positions, critics argue that Sim could have highlighted these differences factually rather than through unsubstantiated claims.
Orr indicated he is weighing his next steps, including potentially filing a defamation lawsuit or a complaint with the city's integrity commissioner. “I’m considering all my options,” he said. Fry echoed calls for censure, suggesting the conduct undermines public trust in city hall.
As the story unfolds, the lack of transparency from Sim's office has fueled speculation about internal communications within the ABC party. The mayor's refusal to elaborate leaves unanswered questions about whether the accusation stemmed from misinformation shared among colleagues or other sources. For now, the episode highlights deepening divisions on Vancouver council, particularly as the city grapples with housing, addiction, and public safety challenges ahead of the fall election.
With no further details forthcoming from the mayor, observers say the incident could have lasting repercussions for Sim's leadership and the ABC party's campaign. Vancouver residents, from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, await clarity on how such a serious allegation was allowed to surface in an official setting.