'What's good for the region is good for Vancouver': Ken Sim on being mayor, 12 weeks in
Just over 12 weeks after being sworn in as Vancouver's mayor, Ken Sim says he's making slow but steady progress on his promise to hire 100 new police officers and 100 mental health nurses.
Speaking to CTV Morning Live on Wednesday, Sim doubled down on his ABC Party’s hiring pledge during the election campaign and spoke to developments on the horizon.
“We are actually making quite a bit of progress with more to come in the next few weeks, so we’re pretty excited about it,” Sim said. “It will take time and yes, taxpayers will be on the hook for it.”
Last November, council approved a plan to allocate up to $16 million in the 2023 budget to fulfil Sim’s promise.
His comments comes one day after B.C. officially decriminalized the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use, and after BC Coroners Service revealed a total of 2,272 British Columbians died due to illicit drugs in 2022.
Sim says the city can’t solve the toxic drug crisis alone, and his hiring pledge is one way to support provincial and federal partners who have more powers to address the issue.
“What the city can do is support 100 new police officers and 100 new mental health nurses,” Sim sad.
The 52-year-old mayor has also promised to collaborate with his counterparts across Metro Vancouver in order to address regional issues.
“What’s good for the region is good for Vancouver,” said Sim, pointing to shared challenges around the toxic drug supply, homelessness, employee shortages and transportation.
He says his government will be lobbying funding for the UBC SkyTrain extension, saying it will have benefits that extend beyond the city itself.
“If we have better transit, people throughout the region can access Vancouver a lot better and can help us with challenges as well.”
When it comes to the lack of affordable, attainable housing in Vancouver, Sim blamed what he calls the city’s “permitting issue.”
“It could take between six and 12 years to get a building permitted and that’s just too long, so what we’re spending a lot of time and effort on is speeding up the process so we can build housing of all shapes and sizes and types for different parts of the market to help people,” he said.
Sim was asked about one of his first speeches as mayor in which he envisioned a “super-exciting” Vancouver with “renewed swagger” in the near future.
While the municipal government has the power to break through barriers to facilitate fun, Sim says the desire has to come from residents of Vancouver themselves.
“The great thing is we have people all over the city that want to do neat and interesting things, be it the Granville Entertainment District, or Car Free Days in the summer or revitalizing Chinatown,” he explained. “So when the residents and the business owners come to us with their idea we can knock down those barriers and make things happen a lot faster.”
On Tuesday, city council unanimously approved a ramped-up Granville Street Planning Program with the goal of revitalizing the neighbourhood. It’s expected to take a total of 18 months and cost $300,000.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Trial begins for Winnipeg serial killer who claims he was mentally ill
The trial of a man who admits he killed four women in Winnipeg is set to begin Wednesday, and a law professor says lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have multiple hurdles to clear for a defence of mental illness.
New Canadian study could be a lifesaver for thousands suffering from CTE
A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.