Lenny Zhou (周楠) | Ep. 1: For My Child, and for This City
https://youtu.be/d9gQTR-9iSg
(Transcript from the episode's English subtitles; speakers not labelled. Host: Sarah Yu.)

[0:00] Highlights
In 2021, Ken Sim's team approached me, hoping I'd run for city council. At the time, I was reluctant. Why? Because I'd be giving up a lot. Back then, I'd just had a baby, my one and only child. We'd only just had our baby in November 2021. I also worried about my child growing up in Vancouver: later on, could they find a better job? Could they afford a home? Would they face racial discrimination? So actually, I was moved by his sincerity, and in 2022, I decided to step up and join him in running for Vancouver city council.

[0:28] Running for re-election
Lenny Zhou, as an ABC Vancouver city councillor currently in office, running for re-election this year, how are you feeling during this campaign? Well, here's how I see it. Over the past four years, I think Vancouver, under ABC Vancouver and Mayor Ken Sim's leadership, has in many areas actually made some very good progress. For example, the city is safer now. That's because we invested in public safety, so the Vancouver Police Department, for the first time in 15 years, got adequate funding. And what was the result? Vancouver's violent crime is at its lowest in 23 years. There's real data on that. And crime rates across the board, in almost every neighbourhood, are going down. So that's been fairly good on that front. Another thing is affordability, which is also one of our signature policies. I saw a news story saying that this year, Vancouver really did manage not to raise taxes. Yes. This year, Vancouver's property tax increase is zero. And we've promised that after this year's election, if we're elected, next year's property tax increase will again be zero. Because when we talk to residents, affordability is the biggest issue. If you leave it to us at City Hall— of course, affordability is very complex— say, asking City Hall to solve the trade dispute with the US, that's impossible. It's not realistic, right? But we use the tools in our toolbox to support affordability. So property tax is a very important issue. And we managed it without cutting any core services. We achieved a zero property tax increase. We did all of this with our residents' wallets in mind. This year, out of over a thousand cities in Canada, only three had a zero property tax increase. But Vancouver is the biggest. For a city of Vancouver's size, we're the only one. So all of this is for our residents.

[2:04] From BC Children's Hospital to council
What you've achieved over these four years. Yes. I looked into your background. You've always been— actually, before this you were at BC Children's Hospital, Yes, in management. Right. So you were in healthcare management, and a top student as well. No, no, I wouldn't say that. So what twist of fate led you into politics? Well, I've always been interested in politics. So after I came to Canada, finished my studies and stayed on to work, I'd been volunteering all along, supporting other candidates, helping them campaign. Then in 2021, Ken Sim's team approached me, hoping I'd run for city council. At the time, I was reluctant. Why? Because I'd be giving up a lot. Back then, I'd just had a baby, my one and only child. We'd only just had our baby in November 2021. At the time, I felt I'd have to give up far too much, and my child was still so young. But later, I was truly moved by Mayor Ken Sim's vision. He really wanted to make this city better. And at the time, Vancouver really was facing a lot of problems in the post-pandemic era, like racial discrimination, like public safety, and also the issue of affordability. I also worried about my child growing up in Vancouver: later on, could they find a better job? Could they afford a home? Would they face racial discrimination? So actually, I was moved by his sincerity, and in 2022, I decided to step up and join him in running for Vancouver city council. So over these four years, do you feel you've made sacrifices, or felt a sense of accomplishment? Both, of course: sacrifices and a sense of accomplishment. I believe this city, in my view, has become better, and that's a very good thing. Because a better city isn't just for my child, it's for everyone.

[3:36] 15-hour days
In these four years in office, how many hours a day do you work on average? Honestly, the hours are very long. No exaggeration: I work 15 hours a day, at least six days a week, sometimes seven, with no rest at all, because weekends are even busier, with all kinds of events to attend. My longest stretch, I remember, was 32 days in a row without a single day off, working 15 hours a day.

[3:59] A young child at home
And with a young child at home, how do you handle things with your family? You'd have to ask my wife. Because she does complain a lot, often because I really don't get to see our child. Yes. But I also tell her that what we're doing, all of this, is to make the city better, and it's also for our child, right? So I think one day, when our child grows up, they'll understand. You're one of the few, representing us Chinese Canadians from mainland China, who've been elected to city council. And your wife must be, with you, from mainland China, in politics here, actually very proud of you at home. You'd have to ask her. Honestly, I'm not a very good... So in that sense, I owe them. But you also carry the hopes of many of us from mainland China, right? And there's hope; they also hope that while you're in office, in your four years in office, you can get more of a voice for us Chinese Canadians.

[4:50] City Hall Express
Yes, that's true. That's what I've been doing these past four years. Because before, I felt that City Hall and our communities, especially the Chinese community, were disconnected. People didn't know what City Hall was doing. So after I was elected, I started what's called the “City Hall Express” program, to help people learn some political basics, and at the same time, tell everyone about some of what City Hall is doing, and send out updates. And through this platform, I also gather people's feedback, and bring that feedback to city council, where it becomes an important factor in our policymaking. So I've been doing this for the past four years. Especially on issues that our Chinese community cares about, like property tax and drugs, I've listened to what people have to say, and helped them make their voices heard. So on that front, over the past four years, I think, as a start, we've done well. But you're the best person to speak to this, because you have spent these four years involved in a lot of the government's business. Because the rest of us don't really know what it's actually like once you're inside, how the work flows. Could you walk us through it, or share some stories about how you've pushed things forward?

[5:52] Council as a board, the city manager as CEO
Sure. If you compare the city government to a company, city council is like the company's board of directors. The mayor is like the chair of the board, and we're like the board members. We set the city's overall policy direction, the major policies, the direction of the city's growth. But most importantly, there's another key position, called the city manager. The city manager is like the CEO of the company, or of the city. He has to execute. So this role comes down to understanding council's intent, the direction council wants to go, and then making it happen. It's a very key position. The CEO really plays a crucial role. So there's only one CEO? Right, only one. Just one city manager. That must be exhausting, taking all of your voices, your council's direction, and all the rules, and carrying them all out. He has to lead the whole team. Exactly. So last year, we brought in a new city manager, a new person in the role, so he can better help carry out these policies. So I believe this... What's the CEO's background? He's basically been a city manager in other cities before. He has prior experience. Yes. He has other experience and knows city operations better. So he's the one who puts our policies into practice. That position is very, very important. So I think that after we changed city managers last year, he can better help us deliver on the city's direction and major policies. So going forward, I think a lot of it, we're hoping he'll carry out. Also... When you changed CEOs, was it very difficult? Of course. Because actually, not many people can do this job, this role. Because this job is very, very hard. It means coordinating all the departments, especially in such a huge government. It's not like some small city. The City of Vancouver, we have 10,000 employees, nearly 10,000. So it's a very, very large city. Every department needs to be coordinated and briefed, and has to understand clearly: this is council's priority, the policy we're prioritizing, so carry out this one, not that one. So how to coordinate all of this so the whole city runs more smoothly—that's a very important responsibility he faces. So does the CEO often come out and speak publicly? Or is it mostly you, the councillors and the mayor, who speak for the city? We're the ones speaking out front. We set the city's big strategic policies and overall direction, but he carries it out in the background. So what people see out front is probably mostly us politicians, right? But behind the scenes, it's mostly the whole management team.

[8:15] Chinese names on the ballot
A while ago, I remember seeing a news post from you about adding, on the ballot, your own name in Chinese. And before that, this may have been opposed, and then you actually took it to the Supreme Court, was it? The BC Supreme Court. The BC Supreme Court. Then, after a hearing, it was approved. That's great. For us Chinese Canadians, winning more rights is a really big step. What I'd like to know is, court processes usually take a long time for a single case. Why did you get a result so quickly? Right. That's because under the rules, this was an urgent case. Vancouver had to print the ballots at the time, so there had to be a ruling by that Friday. So it was that Friday afternoon that the BC Supreme Court judge made the ruling. So it was an urgent situation that had to be handled and heard urgently. So I think this is very good not just for our Chinese community but for all minority communities. Especially for us first-generation immigrants. We weren't born in this country. We already had our names where we came from. If we want a new generation of immigrants to take a better part in politics, and in public service, then we should create better conditions for them. Before, in the 2018 election and the 2022 election, everyone felt it didn't matter, and it just fizzled out. That's why it dragged on until now. If we don't fix this, then in the next civic election, in 2030 and beyond, we'll still run into the same problem. So I felt we couldn't put this off any longer. We had to get a clear answer. For our next generation, for our future minorities, first-generation immigrants in the Chinese community, we need to create good conditions to take part in politics. So I felt that on this, I had to stand up for everyone's rights. And the good thing is, I think the judge also delivered a fairly good ruling. And this, I think, is something that changes Vancouver's whole political system, its electoral system. I believe for our young people in the future, first-generation immigrants coming to Canada, getting into politics in Vancouver, it creates good conditions and makes things easier.