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Petty theft is getting more and more rampant.

2
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Some homes have been broken into
four or five times.

3
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So, about this civic election,

4
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can you tell us

5
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why you're running in this civic election?

6
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It's actually quite funny.

7
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Back in February and March,

8
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a lot of people said, "You should run."

9
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I said I wasn't very keen to run,

10
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Because I asked my wife,

11
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and she asked me, "Do you have the time?"

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I said no. "Then why are you running?"

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In the end, someone said, "Jeff,

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you want to prove you're a good person."

15
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When you run a campaign,

16
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all your strengths and flaws come out.

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If people can't dig up any flaws,

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that shows you don't really have any.

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I said I have flaws, lots of flaws,

20
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but not ones that affect my public image

21
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or the public interest. For example,

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I'm not very good at socializing.

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Is that a flaw? Yes, it is.

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I can't sing,
though I ballroom dance now and then.

25
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I don't like hiking,
and I don't play cards.

26
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Those are my flaws. I'm not social.

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But I want to ask, about your campaign,

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really... listening to you just now,

29
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you're not doing it for outward things.

30
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Deep down, that's how it is.

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A misconception among Chinese Canadians:

32
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I think there's a problem here.

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Chinese Canadians always say, "We Chinese,

34
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Richmond is 50 or 60 percent Chinese,

35
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but really,
we have no one on city council.

36
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Maybe I can get in

37
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and bring a voice for
the Chinese community."

38
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I think

39
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if, in this city election,

40
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some fresh blood could get in...

41
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Fresh blood for sure:
four new people this time.

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that leaves four seats.

43
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Right now, 55 candidates for eight seats.

44
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If those four get in,

45
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it's 51 people for four seats.

46
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Which means

47
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47 people are also-rans.

48
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Running behind is fine. Nobody knows

49
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how it'll turn out in the end. I may be an also-ran too,

50
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but at least I don't want to be
a passive also-ran.

51
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We'll work really hard.

52
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In his building, a job that would have cost millions,

53
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we got done for a few hundred thousand.

54
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One of the most striking parts

55
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was a $450,000 quote.

56
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We said it could be done for $1,200.

57
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We can see where the problem really is.

58
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Actually, I myself

59
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studied mechanical engineering. I have

60
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a mechanical, engineering-type background.

61
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So my approach isn't just about

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how to make the problem simpler.

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I find the root of it and solve it there.

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And you

65
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can see the truth behind things.

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You dig for the truth

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in everything. I can see that.

68
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The most critical issue right now

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is that our traffic is bad.

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Often, when I'm driving,

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I see a notice pop up:

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"Avoid the Knight Street Bridge,

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there's a car on fire on the bridge."

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The whole bridge is shut down.

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I've waited an hour, even two hours.

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I've waited at Oak and 50-something Ave.

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and you can't even back out.

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But Richmond's biggest problem is

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what? Petty theft is getting more rampant.

80
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Some homes have been broken into
four or five times.

81
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So over this issue, I went

82
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and talked some things over with them.

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Why don't the police do anything?

84
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Why don't the police act?
Here's how it works.

85
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The RCMP's relationship
with the City of Richmond

86
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is a hiring relationship,
not a subordinate one.

87
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It's like we've hired a security company.

88
00:03:03,752 --> 00:03:08,483
But I believe those who signed it before
weren't familiar with it

89
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and didn't know how to change it,

90
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so the contract has gaps.

91
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A lot of police resources are wasted.

92
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Not enough police, and yet they're wasted.

93
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The biggest problem with theft

94
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is that our camera footage
can't be used as evidence in court.

95
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how to fix it, bit by bit.

96
00:03:24,620 --> 00:03:26,784
So on our team, there's someone named Bob.

97
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He was an RCMP officer for 28 years.

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He knows the inside.

99
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They say he knows the inside, how they

100
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talk, and what could be adjusted.

101
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If he could help write the contract,

102
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or be part of the contract,
I think it would help.

103
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It means: if you cut property taxes,

104
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the money is limited, staff can't be cut,

105
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so services get cut. Would you want that?

106
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No park maintenance, no road repairs,

107
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less garbage pickup. Would you want that?
Of course not.

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If not,

109
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then cutting services

110
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along with property taxes won't work.

111
00:04:04,298 --> 00:04:06,027
But are we being reasonable,

112
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are we staying within a range

113
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close to inflation,

114
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rather than inflation at 7% today

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and property tax up 20% tomorrow?

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Can we hold it to 2%?

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But once that 2% is set,
you have to tell residents

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where that 2% went.

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Either way, we keep a level head.
And everyone's very...

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We got to know each other in Vancouver,

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and the contributions you've made,

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many in the Chinese community

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can see them and feel them.

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Thank you so much.