FOI clips document meeting where Ken Sim admitted false claim about Sean Orr
Bob Mackin published FOI video and audio from a February city hall meeting on election day, including Sim's admission that he falsely accused COPE candidate Sean Orr.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on bobmackin.substack.com.
Bob Mackin, an investigative journalist who reports at theBreaker.news, published FOI-obtained video and audio clips on October 17 from a February 6 city hall meeting between Mayor Ken Sim and crews from Chinese-language media outlets, according to his Substack post. Lenny Zhou (周楠), an ABC Vancouver City Council candidate, served as Mandarin translator at the meeting, Mackin reports.
Three weeks after that meeting, Sim admitted he was not telling the truth and apologized, Mackin reports. Sim acknowledged falsely claiming that COPE City Council candidate Sean Orr "was handing out illegal drugs on Christmas Day, to people on the streets." Those are the words Sim used in his apology, as reported by Mackin.
Orr deemed the apology insufficient and filed a defamation lawsuit against Sim, according to Mackin's reporting. A defamation claim is a civil allegation. No court has ruled on it. Mackin did not report Sim's response to the lawsuit in the portion of the article available without a subscription.
The FOI clips
The clips were obtained from the City of Vancouver through a Freedom of Information request, Mackin writes. He describes the meeting as "a controversial Feb. 6 city hall meeting" and says it was "an early test of ABC Vancouver's campaign messaging for the Oct. 17 civic election."
The full article is published at bobmackin.substack.com. Mackin's publication, theBreaker.news, is a subscriber-supported outlet. The article was published on election day, October 17, 2026. The portion visible without a subscription ends after the introduction to the FOI clips.
Both candidates are on the ballot today
Ken Sim is the incumbent mayor and is running for re-election with ABC Vancouver. Sean Orr is a COPE candidate running for one of ten City Council seats. Both are on the ballot in the October 17, 2026 Vancouver municipal election. The defamation claim Mackin reports has not been decided by a court. Mackin's article did not include a statement from Sim or ABC Vancouver on the lawsuit in the portion visible without a subscription.
Polls are open today until 8 PM. Find your voting location at voche.me/where-to-vote.
Questions this story answers
What is the February 6 meeting?
On February 6, 2026, Mayor Ken Sim met with crews from Chinese-language media outlets at Vancouver City Hall. Coun. Lenny Zhou served as Mandarin translator. Bob Mackin obtained video and audio from this meeting through a Freedom of Information request to the City of Vancouver and published highlights on election day, October 17, 2026.
What did Ken Sim say about Sean Orr?
Ken Sim made a claim about COPE City Council candidate Sean Orr at the February meeting. Three weeks later, Sim admitted he was not telling the truth and apologized for falsely claiming that Orr 'was handing out illegal drugs on Christmas Day, to people on the streets.' Those are the words Sim used in his apology, as reported by Bob Mackin on October 17.
Did Sim apologize?
Yes. About three weeks after the February 6 meeting, Ken Sim admitted he was not telling the truth and issued an apology. Bob Mackin reports that Orr deemed the apology insufficient. The details come from Mackin's October 17 reporting on the FOI clips published at theBreaker.news on election day.
What is the defamation suit?
According to Bob Mackin's reporting, Sean Orr filed a lawsuit against Ken Sim for defamation after deeming Sim's apology insufficient. A defamation suit is a civil allegation. No court has ruled on whether the claim is proven. Orr is a COPE candidate running for City Council in the October 17 election.
What is a Freedom of Information request?
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request is a formal request to a government body for records it holds. Bob Mackin says he obtained the video and audio from the February 6 meeting through an FOI request to the City of Vancouver. The clips were published by Mackin on election day, October 17, 2026, at bobmackin.substack.com.
Who is Lenny Zhou?
Lenny Zhou (周楠) is a City Council candidate running with ABC Vancouver in the October 17 election. At the February 6 city hall meeting described by Bob Mackin, Zhou served as the Mandarin translator for Mayor Sim. You can read Zhou's candidate profile at voche.me.
Where can I read the full article?
The full report is at bobmackin.substack.com. Bob Mackin is an investigative journalist who publishes at theBreaker.news and on Substack. The article was published on October 17, 2026 and states that clips were obtained through Freedom of Information. The publication has paid subscription plans, so the full article may require a subscription.
How does this affect my vote today?
The Vancouver mayoral race is on October 17, 2026. The candidates for mayor include Ken Sim (ABC Vancouver) and Sean Orr is running for City Council with COPE. The FOI clips were published today. Polls are open until 8 PM. Find your voting station at voche.me/where-to-vote. Candidate profiles are at /candidates/ken-sim and /candidates/sean-orr.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- Bob Mackin: FOI highlights of Ken Sim's controversial meetingbobmackin.substack.com
- Ken Sim candidate profilevoche.me
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