Vancouver councillor retracts Chinese video calling rivals drug users, distributors
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VANCOUVER – Several Vancouver municipal councillors say they want a review and “unequivocal censure” of comments by council colleague Lenny Zhou, after he accused his party’s rivals of being drug users who distributed drugs on the streets in a Chinese-language social media video.
Zhou now says he “unequivocally” apologizes for the video that was based on “incorrect information” and he has deleted it from the Chinese-language WeChat platform.
He had posted the video last week while rallying supporters to sign up to speak against supportive housing in an upcoming council meeting.
In the video, Zhou said in Mandarin that councillors who are not part of Mayor Ken Sim’s ABC Party majority “are drug users themselves,” asserting that “right before Christmas, they were publicly distributing drugs on the streets.”
Green councillor and mayoral candidate Pete Fry says he and other non-ABC councillors Rebecca Bligh, Sean Orr and Lucy Maloney are jointly denouncing the publication of the “inflammatory and harmful misinformation.”
The non-ABC councillors say Zhou’s video is a “fabrication of malicious and known falsehoods” aimed at inflaming sentiment in “foreign-language media,” and it appears inconsistent with a councillor’s oath of office and code of conduct.
Fry says Zhou’s conduct could “potentially engage Criminal Code provisions on defamatory communications.”
“Short of alleging a criminal offence, Councillor Zhou’s behaviour requires immediate impartial review and unequivocal censure,” Fry says.
In an emailed statement, Zhou says he didn’t live up to the standards that he strives for.
“In that video, I made remarks regarding other Vancouver City councillors. My comments were based on incorrect information, and for that I unequivocally apologize,” the statement says.
Zhou’s apology was not immediately shared in Chinese on his WeChat account.
Mayor Sim says in a statement that he thanked Zhou for acknowledging his mistake and taking responsibility for sharing information that wasn’t accurate.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2026.