Trouble in Vancouver mayor's office escalates as party member resigns
The ongoing drama about ethics in the Vancouver mayor’s office escalated on Wednesday when one member of the ABC party announced they were stepping down.
The Vancouver School Board Chair, Victoria Jung, shared a statement on X to announce she will be resigning from the mayor’s party, for which followers have since praised her.
Jung said she will now sit on the board as an independent member.
“Recent events questioning the office of the Vancouver Integrity Commissioner have given me pause to reflect on my core values,” she said.
“The trust the people of Vancouver placed in me during the 2022 municipal election is not taken lightly. And while differences do indeed come and go for elected officials, the imperative to serve in the public interest — versus private interest — is one that is non-negotiable.“
.@Vote4ABC pic.twitter.com/8ZugXYKCUf
— Victoria Jung (@victoriajungvan) August 7, 2024
Due to the circumstances, Jung said she felt a need to “make a change.“
“What is not changing is my commitment to the principles that brought me to the ballot,“ she promised. “This is my first time serving in an elected position, and I consider this an honour and a privilege.”
Trouble at the City
Just a day ago, the city council voted to postpone a vote on the future of the work of the ethics watchdog. This vote was needed so that a third party could review integrity commissioner Lisa Southern’s work.
City councillors like Pete Fry have criticized the mayor’s party for the lack of transparency.
“Watching ABC struggle to make a quorum for the mayor’s special meeting to suspend the Integrity Commissioner — I cannot help but wonder if the attending councillors have read the recent IC report and are ok with the behaviour they are tacitly endorsing,“ Fry said on X Tuesday.
However, after hearing the news about Jung, the Green party member said, “Partisan politics aside (for a moment),” he applauds the now-former ABC party member’s decision to resign.
“Walking away from the party apparatus takes a lot of courage and integrity, which VSB Chair Victoria Jung clearly has in abundance. This is not a decision made lightly or without peril, and deserves a lot of respect,“ Fry added.
👏🏽Partisan politics aside (for a moment):
Walking away from the party apparatus takes a lot of courage and integrity, which VSB Chair Victoria Jung clearly has in abundance. This is not a decision made lightly or without peril, and deserves a lot of respect 🙌🏽 https://t.co/yCUm7QiGal— Pete Fry (@PtFry) August 7, 2024
The report the Integrity Commissioner released over the weekend was an investigation into a Vancouver Park Board commissioner’s two complaints against Sim.
The allegations included political interference from Sim or his office to persuade Brennan Bastyovanszky, the Park Board’s vice-chair at the time, to step down last year. Bastyovanszky also alleged bullying, harassment, and discrimination.
All allegations against Sim and his office were dismissed as Southern did not find the mayor broke any code of conduct by-laws.
The next vote on the Integrity Commissioner is expected to be in late September.
According to VSB, Jung will continue to serve on the board until 2026.
ABC Vancouver told Daily Hive it is wishing Jung “all the best in her future endeavours” and added the party “remains committed to its mission and values and building a better city together. We will continue to work diligently for the betterment of our community.”
Daily Hive also reached out to Sim but did not hear back by deadline.