What Has Ken Sim Done In His First Year In Office?

Photo Credit: Jason Payne/Vancouver Sun

Ken Sim, a businessman turned politician, began his mayoral journey with a promise to bring a positive change to Vancouver. In his bid for mayor, Sim outlined a vision for the city that prioritized housing attainability, community safety and economic prosperity. However, his first year in office concluded with mixed results.

Central to Sim’s mayoral campaign was a pledge to enhance the safety and mental well-being of Vancouverites. “On day one, we are going to requisition for 100 new police officers and 100 new mental health nurses,” Sim said in his victory speech.

While his goal to hire 100 mental health nurses is far from reality, Vancouver’s Police Department has experienced an influx of officers, which is expected to cost $20 million yearly. This investment has resulted in significant changes — the VPD assist with mental-wellbeing has been shifted and the School Liaison Officers have been reinstated in high schools like Eric Hamber. 

Ken Sim has also sought to tackle the urgent issue of affordable and accessible housing in Vancouver. Throughout the year, his administration introduced a series of initiatives designed to enhance housing affordability, including bolstering Vancouver’s limited supply of housing and streamlining the building approval process. Acknowledging the severity of Vancouver's housing crisis, Sim said, “This work should have been done a long time ago.”

However, it remains to be seen whether these measures will have a significant and lasting impact on housing affordability. Critics such as councilor Adriane Carr have expressed concern over the perceived lack of progress. “If you prioritize everything, you prioritize nothing,” she said.

Many of Sim's political manoeuvres have elicited a mixed response from the public. While many applaud his decisive actions and straightforward approach to leadership, others criticize him for a lack of transparency and lack of progress. While Ken Sim welcomes criticism, holding town hall meetings and open forums to address concerns, he has been accused of silencing opposition.

Recently, when Sim announced unexpected plans to dismantle Vancouver’s Park Board to streamline decisions and save millions, he experienced heavy backlash in the community and among his own party. He characterized his proposal as “beneficial for anyone who likes parks.” Scott Jensen, Laura Christensen, and Brennan Bastyovanszky, three Park Board Commissioners in Sim’s ABC Party, firmly denied the motion, breaking with Sim and leaving the ABC Party over the issue to become independent candidates. They said that “the mayor's office […] had no authority to recommend the abolition of [the Park Board].” Despite the setbacks, the motion was eventually passed on Dec. 14 with a majority vote.