COPE Coun. Sean Orr has raised nearly $35,000 to support his defamation lawsuit against Mayor Ken Sim.
“On February 6, Mayor Ken Sim lied about me publicly, bringing serious harm to my reputation and damaging my ability to serve the public who elected me,” he wrote on the GoFundMe page, where he is asking the public for donations.
“Until now, Ken Sim has yet to face consequences.”
Orr filed the lawsuit on March 10, following the news that Sim told Chinese media on Feb. 6 that Orr was “handing out illegal drugs on Christmas Day, to people on the streets.”
ABC Coun. Lenny Zhou was translating Sim’s statements for members of the Chinese media.
In the notice of civil claim, it says that the statement was “defamatory” and it was published or republished by Chinese media.
Zhou and Sim have apologized in the aftermath of the news breaking.
The civil claim adds that “Sim has repeatedly drawn attention to the defamatory elements of the February 6 Statement (including when apologizing for making this statement), thus amplifying its reach. Sim’s subsequent comments, including to the media, have exacerbated the damage to Orr’s reputation.”
Orr wrote on his GoFundMe page that “over the past weeks [Sim] has failed to provide any reasonable explanation for his actions – harming our city and undermining public trust in the mayor.”
The civil claim argues that “Sim acted deliberately, maliciously, and in bad faith in making the February 6 statement and damaging Orr’s reputation,” and that he made it “knowing it to be false or with reckless indifference to its truthfulness.”
Daily Hive reached out to Mayor Ken Sim for comment, and received the following statement from the Mayor’s Office:
“Mayor Sim is aware of the litigation filed by Councillor Orr. As this matter is now before the courts, the Mayor will not be commenting further.”
Orr asked potential donors to consider donating $16 if they don’t have much money, for the number of times Sim apologized.
The Go Fund Page notes that they set the goal “so that the lawsuit can get off the ground.” They have already increased it to $40,000.
“We will increase it to an extent as we go along – defamation lawsuits can easily stretch into the six figures. The funds will go to costs associated with lawyer fees and disbursements as needed. None of the proceeds will be distributed to COPE,” reads the page.
At the time of publication, the fundraiser had received over 800 donations.
Both Orr and Sim are running for their seats in the upcoming Vancouver election, taking place on Oct. 17, 2026.
Daily Hive reached out to Orr but did not hear back before publication.