The City of Vancouver has altered its public hearing procedures after Mayor Ken Sim claimed there was “foreign interference” at a recent meeting. As of Thursday, non-residents of Canada will be moved to the end of the public hearing speaker’s queue. In a statement to CTV News, the city said its public engagement and consultation process is flexible, and designed to allow Vancouverites to speak to their elected officials and make their interests heard. “If any of these processes are intentionally compromised by individuals outside of Canada, it devalues the purpose of local public engagement,” the statement added. ‘Obstructing council business’ On Wednesday, Sim posted on social media that there were “numerous individuals obstructing council business” during a meeting that evening. “It is clear that this is foreign interference. Only those affected by land use decisions should speak before council, not those calling in from Southern California,” he added. Council had been welcoming speakers on the third day of a public hearing about the Villages Plan, a proposal that would densify neighbourhoods across the city. During one exchange, a caller named Cristina Melendez, who opposed the plan, was questioned by ABC Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung. “So, you’re just speaking of your own? Have you ever visited Vancouver?” Kirby-Yung asked. The caller responded, “No. Not yet. I hope to.” The councillor then asked, “OK, where have you spoken so far? Can you share with us?” Melendez responded that she’s spoken at council meetings in Los Angeles and Ontario. ‘Allowance for input’ ABC Coun. Peter Meiszner said he noticed some speakers called in from California that evening, and repeated the same remarks. “There has to be some allowance for input,” he said. “But when you have people like last night, as we discovered … calling from another country, from the state of California, who have admitted on the record that they’ve never even been to Vancouver, that raises questions for me as to why they’re calling in around a planning process.” Weaponization of process? Green councillor and mayoral candidate Pete Fry said during the COVID 19 pandemic, the city changed its public hearing process to allow people to phone in. He called the latest developments this week a weaponization of the process. “It’s not especially productive,” he said. “And frankly, it drowns out the legitimate voices because I think public hearings are an opportunity for the public to actually engage with us.”' Fry added the mayor was not present at the Wednesday meeting either. “He’s been on a leave of absence for personal reasons,” he said. Political scientist Max Cameron said the incident highlights flaws in the public hearing process in general. “I’ve argued for a long time that public hearings are not particularly productive,” Cameron said. “There are actually better ways of tapping into public opinion, more creative and more participatory ways.” Union involvement During the hearing, some city councillors questioned whether speakers were part of UNITE HERE Local 40. In a statement to CTV News, union president Zalida Chan said the mayor “calls worker solidarity ‘foreign interference’ while council rushes approvals for international billionaire developers like Holborn.” Speaking to the Vancouver Sun, Chan confirmed the union had asked people outside Canada to call in to the hearing. Vancouver police involved Sim said he reported the incident to the Vancouver Police Department. Chief Const. Steve Rai said the department’s investigations division is going to assess the information. “If it reaches a threshold where we are concerned that there’s some level of political interference, then we will refer it to the RCMP,” he said. Sim also sent a letter to the province urging it to amend the Vancouver Charter, “to provide that only residents of Canada may register to speak at public hearings and other proceedings before Vancouver City Council.”
