Jeff Jiang 蒋浩Interview collection

Jeff Jiang (蒋浩) | Ep. 1: Tomorrow Will Be Better

https://youtu.be/ZBCfBgh-48s

(Transcript from the episode's English subtitles; speakers not labelled. Host: Sarah Yu.)

[0:00] Highlights

Five years ago, his home caught fire. I went next door and got $1,000. I put it in an envelope with a note: "Tomorrow will be better." And I gave it to him. She said, "You did the right thing. You donate all the time. Sometimes it's chipping in, sometimes you feel obliged, to save face. But this came from the heart." I said I don't want to be a career politician, but I'd really enjoy taking part in managing city affairs.

[0:30] Losing weight on the campaign trail

Not bad. I think you've lost weight. This municipal election has probably slimmed you down a lot. It's a lot of physical activity. Physical activity. Walking, running around. Right, knocking on doors? Knocking on doors. And also, we're always visiting community groups, You know, we've known each other for over twenty years. Over twenty years. Over twenty years, and you haven't changed. Hardly changed at all. Not much, no. When it comes to work, I'm someone who changes things very gradually. I don't do one thing today and jump to the next tomorrow. I plan things out.

[1:03] Not a career politician

I do everything bit by bit. I'm the kind of person who goes step by step. I don't get a sudden whim today to do something, and then tomorrow do something else on a whim. Like a few days ago, yesterday or the day before, I think, I posted on WeChat Moments. I'd found an interview someone did with me. What it mentioned about me was a 2022 report on the municipal election, where I encouraged people to get involved in the election. There was one question in it, and I said I don't want to be a career politician, but I'd really enjoy taking part in managing city affairs. It's about understanding, not that I must achieve something. That was my mindset back in 2022. And actually, now it's still the same. People ask me how I'll go about this. I say being a politician or whatever isn't what I'm seeking most. But being able to speak up for everyone, understanding how things are run, that's why I decided to run in the first place. I think you have a really good attitude. A really good attitude. Those of us who know you, in Metro Vancouver, whether in the Chinese community or the mainstream, I think your image has always been about serving the people. I'd put it this way: I'm not one to try to put myself in the spotlight or act with an agenda. Doing things just for an agenda isn't meaningful. I usually just follow where my own thinking takes me. Some things I do, a lot of people might not understand. Right. I actually think you're a pretty pure-hearted person. You really do this because it makes you happy, simply to help others, not to build your personal reputation. Exactly.

[2:43] The night of the fire

It's not about achievement. For instance, a while ago, a friend put out a news story. He told a story: five years ago his home caught fire. After the fire, I was renovating a daycare next door. My electrician said we couldn't get in that day. I asked him, "Why can't we get in?" He said the inside was completely flooded. So I rushed over and finally managed to convince the fire department and the police. When we got in, it was all water. So I pumped the water out. Nearby, I saw a man. He said he lived in the burned house next door. It caught fire at 11 at night. He couldn't get anything out, hadn't eaten anything. He was starving. Then he saw, in the hallway, a plastic bag with a few crackers the firefighters had left. He asked, "Can I eat these?" I thought he was asking if they were safe to eat, so I said, "Of course." He said, "So can I have them?" I said, "Go ahead." "Do you want some?" I said no, "You have them." He ate all three packs. I knew he was starving. Then I took him across the street. This was during COVID. I took him across the street to a Vietnamese place, and ordered takeout. After ordering, since you couldn't dine in back then,

[3:53] $1,000 in an envelope

I ordered takeout. Once the order was in, while we were waiting, I went next door and got $1,000. I put it in an envelope and wrote a note: "Tomorrow will be better." And I gave it to him. When I pulled down my mask, he recognized me. That's the story he told, but he didn't know how much I'd given him. I took him to his temporary shelter. That night I contacted Zhenyu Cao, Zhenyu Cao and Jungang Du of the Shanxi association. They're all from Shanxi, like him, so they went to help, and they helped him. After that, he even called me and said, "Brother Jeff, I don't even know you, and you gave me $1,000." I said, "If I can give, I give. It's no big deal." I didn't know how to handle this with my wife, because I do renovations, and I don't have much cash. I had no cash.

[4:31] “You did the right thing”

The next day I was building a flower stand in the yard. The last board, I saved on purpose for my wife to put in. She put it in and was really happy. While she was happy, I told her what had happened. My wife, at the time, I thought she'd scold me. We're not rich, we're not well-off, and we have two kids. She said, "I noticed, but I didn't ask you where the money went." I said, "Here's what happened. I helped a friend in need." She said, "You did the right thing. You donate all the time. Sometimes it's chipping in, sometimes you feel obliged, to save face. But this came from the heart. And I see you didn't post it on WeChat or anything, didn't tell anyone. That's the right way." I'm really grateful to my wife for that. Your wife is a very caring person too. When it comes to things like this I do, some she understands, some she doesn't. I mean, it happens so often. I do it so often. Sometimes, honestly, she finds it a bit much. Because we're not some big corporation or conglomerate. Everything we have, we earned through hard work. A lot of this can't be written off on taxes; it all comes out of our after-tax income. And the story you just told me, you quietly prepared an envelope with money inside, and you gave it to him, saying "Tomorrow will be better." I think a lot of people, hearing this, will be moved to tears. It's very moving. Something interesting happened later. Burnaby councillor James Wang called me, or rather, sent me a WeChat message. About two weeks later, he said he'd attended a fundraiser held by Shanxi folks for a man whose home had burned down. He was there to emcee. Since he has ties to Shanxi, he donated a bit too. But the organizers said the first donor was named Jeff. He asked, "Was that you?" I said yes. He said, "You never mentioned it." I said there was nothing to mention. It's a small thing, what's there to say? And that was that. Many people found out about it. We were total strangers. Later, that man came looking for me, always wanting to repay me. I said, "It's fine. We all help when we can." On December 23rd I went to see him again. He'd found temporary housing. Did his insurance pay out? We brought gifts, and a card when we visited. He was truly grateful. And this man really, really values loyalty. Later, at our association's inauguration ceremony, I bought a table. After buying the table, I invited him. He came, and paid anyway. He paid. I said, "Why did you pay? I already paid for you. Money's tight for your family." He said, "I want to show my support." Then, around the start of this year, at Alexa Loo's fundraiser, I shared a link to the fundraiser for people to come, and I bought a few tables. And he came again. I hadn't invited him; I didn't want to burden him. He said, "I donated again." I said, "Why would you donate? I feel really bad." From the bottom of his heart, he wants to do whatever he can. That makes me really happy. Hearing you tell this, honestly, right now I feel really moved and touched.

[7:24] An elderly friend from Shanghai

Actually, when it comes to helping people, there are many stories like that. There's one. I know an older gentleman from Shanghai. He's a bit older than me, good at renovation work, but for some reason, financially, he was always struggling. He did some work for me, and I ended up losing a lot of money on it. So I basically didn't keep in touch with him. But he kept saying hello, always saying hello: "How are you?" "Happy Father's Day," "Happy Dragon Boat Festival." He kept sending me messages, and I'd politely reply. Once he sent me a message: "How are you all?" A strange "How are you all?" I found it really strange. Why would he say that? So I asked him: "We're fine. How about you?" He said, "Not good. I've been in the hospital for two years." I called him right away. "Why two years?" He said he had kidney disease; both kidneys were removed. So it was miserable in there. He couldn't eat well or live well. Doesn't he have family? Family? He and his wife had separated. His wife helped him as much as she could, but anyway, there were always some problems. Sometimes he'd tell me about it. Later he said, "I've moved back, living over by Joyce." Then a friend of mine told me that one day someone posted online in our group chat, asking if anyone wanted these doors, these tools, these parts. Lots of people saw it was all free. He said, "Jeff, this is a guy from your hometown." I immediately asked, "Is it Lao Xie?" It was. He'd been renting a warehouse, and when the rent went unpaid, the landlord had the real estate agent throw out, sell, and clear everything. So a lot of stuff had to go. My friend said, "See? If your health is bad, however much business you have, it all goes to zero. So health has to come first." I called Lao Xie. "What happened?" He said, "Remember a while back, I said my stairs were bad, and you sent a worker over to fix them?" I'd sent a worker over to do it. He insisted on paying the worker. The worker refused the money. I told him, "He's my employee, don't worry about it. I'll pay my own employee." Now there was a new problem. He needs dialysis two or three times a week. The hospital has to send people over to bring him down from the second floor, carrying him down in a special chair. But the stairs weren't safe, and they'd refused to come get him. I figure he hadn't paid rent, so the landlord wouldn't fix them. I said, "No problem, I'll go." That night I was attending an event. I brought a dozen or so long 2x6 boards. I figured with a dozen or so, I could fix a dozen-odd steps of your stairs. That had to be enough. When I got there, I found out there were three more steps than I'd thought. But I fixed all of them, handrail and all. He said, "Jeff, how do I pay you?" I said no need. He said, "At least let me cover materials." I said, "Not even the materials." And I said, "Here's a box of mooncakes." It was Mid-Autumn Festival. My wife had told me to bring him mooncakes for the festival. This was a few days before. I said, "What are you thinking? He has kidney problems, poor digestion. Giving him these will only hurt him." My wife said, "It's not for him to eat. It's that, right at festival time, someone is still thinking of him." Right, he'd be touched. So I gave them to him. He still keeps in touch with me. Sometimes I call him and say, "If you have a problem, tell me. I'll help." Anyway, that's one friend.

[10:36] Another friend, three and a half years

There's another friend. This one's still around. More than ten years ago, when we had just founded the association, I happened to meet him. After we met, he asked, "How can I help you?" I was holding an event with President Ding in White Rock. I asked if he could prepare some snacks for me. He made lots of braised dishes for me, and at the event they were snapped up. His food was really delicious. But because of this, he and his business partner fought. The partner said, "How can you use the partnership's stuff for outside jobs?" He said, "Just once. I bought the ingredients myself." "But what did you use? You can't say for sure." He was upset, and I felt I owed him one. Later, a lot happened to him, including at Pacific Plaza, where a forklift hit someone's wall and broke a TV. And at Admiralty Centre, there was a fire inside. I took care of all of it. Admiralty Centre was the most interesting. He was the sublessor there. As sublessor, he said he had insurance. So I told the sublessor, I told my friend, "I'll do it for you. If insurance covers it, fine. If not, I'll write it off for you." And I really did. I fixed everything for him, all of it. Some time later, he moved in next door to us. I didn't know him well then, only that he was a fellow Shanghainese. He said, "I'm next door to you. Come over for lunch." And sometimes I actually did. After a few meals, some time later, he told me, "I don't drive, so I can't go shower. It's really inconvenient. I'm living here. Could you add a shower for me?" I had a plumber put one in. That was a bit against the rules. After it was in, it was meant to be temporary, the landlord didn't agree, so we took it out again. Later I said, "You could go to the community centre." He said, "I don't have a car." That's when I learned he had no car. So he'd take the bus to the community centre to shower. I remember it was December that year, around the 20th, he called me. He said the landlord found out he was living there and banned it. Wouldn't let him rent it anymore. "I have to move out. Can you put me up for two weeks?" The next day I helped him out, and he ended up living at my company for three and a half years. Three and a half years at your company? Honestly, it just couldn't be helped. He stayed three and a half years. A lot happened during that time. He was really, really good to me. Always cooking good food for me, helping me however he could. Often I'd drive back with a truck full of tools, and he'd help me unload. He'd chat with me in the evenings. Emotionally, I felt I truly had a friend, someone to speak Shanghainese with. I was really happy. Once I came back with a truckload, desperate for the bathroom. I went, and when I came out, he'd unloaded everything. I said, "Don't unload that, I need it tomorrow." So we loaded it back up. Then I had a bite to eat and went home. After I got home, he called me: "Big brother," he's actually a year older, but calls me big brother, "Big brother, could you lend me $20? I don't even have bus fare for work tomorrow." I said, "Why didn't you say so earlier?" He said, "I couldn't bring myself to ask." OK. I was living on the West Side then. I drove all the way back and put $200 on his desk. He was out for a walk. When he came back and saw it, he was really happy. A few days ago I told a friend, in all my chats with him, he's always borrowing a bit here, a bit there, and I never say anything. I just give it to him. Even my wife once said, "Our power bill was never this high. Now it's so high, it's all him using it." I told my wife, "If we hired someone to watch the warehouse, it'd cost more. This is a good deal." Really, it gave me peace of mind. We're still good friends now, whether or not he pays me back. I think you're helping so many ordinary people in society, ordinary citizens. Your kindness is genuine, truly, just like the ocean.

Jeff Jiang (蒋浩) | Ep. 2: Lost $600K, Still Paid His Crew

https://youtu.be/ROyzbhCKoRk

(Transcript from the episode's English subtitles; speakers not labelled. Host: Sarah Yu.)

[0:00] Lost $600K in one year

I wrote each of them a cheque, paying in full for the work they'd done. One year, I lost about $600,000 on two jobs. On one of them, the owner passed away. People in the industry probably all know about it. She passed away, and still owed me some money, but we'd already done all our work. At the time I said, "It's okay. Your mother always treated me as a good friend. I'd never turn around and fight with her, or with you. Never." I set the matter aside. Then everyone who'd worked for me: plumbers, electricians, drywallers, and sprinkler guys. I called them all in. I wrote each of them a cheque, paying in full for the work they'd done. None of the others said anything, just the Indian guy who did my drywall. He said this: Jeff, you're different from most people.

[0:45] Loyal, and by the rules

So, to sum up, you're someone who really values loyalty. I'm more about rules. Right, loyalty and rules. After building long-term working relationships with your staff, you really try to keep them here. As long as you can keep the company going, you want everyone to stay with you.

[1:04] Howard's leaking house

Like a few days ago, I posted on WeChat Moments that I'm running for city council. A friend of mine in Burnaby told me, "Jeff, I support you. I don't have a vote, but I'll get my friends in Richmond to vote for you. I'd definitely vote for you." I asked why. He said, "The way you treat clients, you'll make a good councillor." He lives in Burnaby and has a house he rents out. It had a leak. The basement wasn't draining. And from the basement ceiling, water was dripping down. I found two problems: one was a leak in the chimney, the other was poor drainage in the basement. So I fixed those. But after that, in a heavy rain, the ceiling was still leaking. Still leaking, in that same spot. So I sent my workers to fix it. They tried once, twice, and couldn't fix it. They couldn't find the cause. The third time, I spotted it, and on the fourth visit, my workers fixed it. Once it was fixed, he said to me, "The first time, I didn't haggle with you at all. It cost more than I expected. Second, please don't make it any more expensive. Charge me a bit less." I told him, "Howard, I'm not charging you." "Why? You came four times and won't charge me?" I said, "I came to fix your leak — that's the whole point."

[2:08] Running a company vs. running a city

But he said, "You "You're so dedicated and trustworthy with clients, you'll definitely do well in city government." I said, not necessarily. Because in business, for the company's reputation, I can give ground, I can take a hit, even lose some money, for the reputation. I can make my own calls. But at city hall, as a councillor, if I get elected, I can't do that. It has its own standards. It's not responsible for just one thing, but for the whole community. You're also very humble.

[2:36] The renovation association

Your renovation association gave them emotional support. You're right about that. Back in 2014, when we founded the renovation association, everyone had been scattered. after we'd all been scattered, now it's become an association, and everyone feels like they have a home.

[2:51] A boss who does everything

And what a boss has to shoulder goes beyond what we imagine. A boss here actually does everything, what he should and shouldn't have to. I even do the cleaning at the company. Cleaning is what I enjoy most. I mop the floors. But what can you do? In winter, if there's a leak somewhere, I have to rush over. If anything happens on site, I'm first to run over. Even if I have staff who'll head out, I'm probably the first one on site. The craziest was one day, my wife said to me... On Saturday I wasn't feeling well. I needed to sleep. On Sunday afternoon, I was still in bed, groggy, half-asleep, just lying there on my phone. Then around 9:30 or 10 at night, someone suddenly messaged me, "A friend's house has a leak. Go take a look." I said, "Forget it, I'll go Monday." Because you weren't feeling well. Right, I was unwell. But then that person added me as a contact. I accepted, and then photos came through. I saw it was serious. I got to his place around 11. You just couldn't let it go. I called my workers to get equipment from the shop. They got there at 1. We worked until after 10 the next morning and finished. Things like this... my wife asked me, "This morning you still looked so sickly. How are you suddenly fine?" Like a shot of adrenaline. Or maybe a real one!

Jeff Jiang (蒋浩) | Ep. 3: Traffic, Safety & Property Tax

https://youtu.be/LrBtRNm7fSk

(Transcript from the episode's English subtitles; speakers not labelled. Host: Sarah Yu.)

[0:00] Why he's running

Petty theft is getting more and more rampant. Some homes have been broken into four or five times. So, about this civic election, can you tell us why you're running in this civic election? It's actually quite funny. Back in February and March, a lot of people said, "You should run." I said I wasn't very keen to run, Because I asked my wife, and she asked me, "Do you have the time?" I said no. "Then why are you running?"

[0:26] Out to prove he's a good guy?

In the end, someone said, "Jeff, you want to prove you're a good person." When you run a campaign, all your strengths and flaws come out. If people can't dig up any flaws, that shows you don't really have any. I said I have flaws, lots of flaws, but not ones that affect my public image or the public interest. For example, I'm not very good at socializing. Is that a flaw? Yes, it is. I can't sing, though I ballroom dance now and then. I don't like hiking, and I don't play cards. Those are my flaws. I'm not social. But I want to ask, about your campaign, really... listening to you just now, you're not doing it for outward things. Deep down, that's how it is.

[1:06] Half of Richmond is Chinese

A misconception among Chinese Canadians: I think there's a problem here. Chinese Canadians always say, "We Chinese, Richmond is 50 or 60 percent Chinese, but really, we have no one on city council. Maybe I can get in and bring a voice for the Chinese community."

[1:21] Not just making up the numbers

I think if, in this city election, some fresh blood could get in... Fresh blood for sure: four new people this time. that leaves four seats. Right now, 55 candidates for eight seats. If those four get in, it's 51 people for four seats. Which means 47 people are also-rans. Running behind is fine. Nobody knows how it'll turn out in the end. I may be an also-ran too, but at least I don't want to be a passive also-ran. We'll work really hard.

[1:51] An engineer looks for the root cause

In his building, a job that would have cost millions, we got done for a few hundred thousand. One of the most striking parts was a $450,000 quote. We said it could be done for $1,200. We can see where the problem really is. Actually, I myself studied mechanical engineering. I have a mechanical, engineering-type background. So my approach isn't just about how to make the problem simpler. I find the root of it and solve it there. And you can see the truth behind things. You dig for the truth in everything. I can see that.

[2:23] Traffic: one fire closes the whole bridge

The most critical issue right now is that our traffic is bad. Often, when I'm driving, I see a notice pop up: "Avoid the Knight Street Bridge, there's a car on fire on the bridge." The whole bridge is shut down. I've waited an hour, even two hours. I've waited at Oak and 50-something Ave. and you can't even back out.

[2:42] Safety: cameras aren't evidence

But Richmond's biggest problem is what? Petty theft is getting more rampant. Some homes have been broken into four or five times. So over this issue, I went and talked some things over with them. Why don't the police do anything? Why don't the police act? Here's how it works. The RCMP's relationship with the City of Richmond is a hiring relationship, not a subordinate one. It's like we've hired a security company. But I believe those who signed it before weren't familiar with it and didn't know how to change it, so the contract has gaps. A lot of police resources are wasted. Not enough police, and yet they're wasted. The biggest problem with theft is that our camera footage can't be used as evidence in court. how to fix it, bit by bit. So on our team, there's someone named Bob. He was an RCMP officer for 28 years. He knows the inside. They say he knows the inside, how they talk, and what could be adjusted. If he could help write the contract, or be part of the contract, I think it would help.

[3:43] Property tax: show where the money goes

It means: if you cut property taxes, the money is limited, staff can't be cut, so services get cut. Would you want that? No park maintenance, no road repairs, less garbage pickup. Would you want that? Of course not. If not, then cutting services along with property taxes won't work. But are we being reasonable, are we staying within a range close to inflation, rather than inflation at 7% today and property tax up 20% tomorrow? Can we hold it to 2%? But once that 2% is set, you have to tell residents where that 2% went. Either way, we keep a level head. And everyone's very... We got to know each other in Vancouver, and the contributions you've made, many in the Chinese community can see them and feel them. Thank you so much.