The 52-year-old businessman is the first Chinese-Canadian mayor in the city’s 136-year history. In his speech, Sim set the tone by repeatedly shouting his personal motto, “You can’t lose if you never quit.” “We heard loud and clear that people wanted change and change is here,” he said. “I will strive to be the mayor who unites our city… Success can only be achieved if we are fearless in the face of failure.” In his speech, Sim reached out to British Columbia premier-designate David Eby and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying help is needed to address the city’s mental health and opioid addiction crisis. “I stand here humbly asking for your help … We are experiencing a great tragedy. Vancouver alone cannot solve it,” he said. British Columbia Provincial Court Judge Derek Mah administered the oath of office to Sim and the 10 councilors elected in last month’s municipal election. Ken Shim is the first Chinese-Canadian mayor in Vancouver’s 136-year history. (Justine Boulin//CBC) Representing the fledgling centre-right ABC Vancouver partySim won the mayor’s seat by a wide margin over incumbent Kennedy Stewart, campaigning on a platform that prioritized public safety and affordability. It was a redemption win for Sim, who lost to Stewart by less than 1,000 votes in 2018. The ABC Vancouver slate topped the pollswith all of its candidates winning a seat on either the council, park board, or school board by landslide majorities. The party promised to hire 100 new police officers and 100 mental health nurses as part of a community-based approach to policing, while improving the city’s licensing process to boost the city’s housing supply sooner. The full platform was once publicly available online, but was removed from the party’s website last month.
