Police have been providing a security detail for Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim since November, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to ensure his safety, officials revealed Thursday.
Sim’s security detail began after the mayor was targeted with threats, vandalism and protests last year, including at his home, and has so far cost taxpayers $226,000.
Chief Const. Adam Palmer said the Vancouver Police Department is providing the detail in addition to the regular security measures in place at city hall, and it’s unclear if or when it will be discontinued.
“This is going to be ongoing, but we’ll be assessing as we go,” Palmer told the Vancouver Police Board during Thursday’s meeting.
Palmer did not specify when in November the detail began, but $226,000 over four months would work out to $56,500 per month.
The police chief noted that permanent security details are not uncommon for Canadian politicians, including some mayors, but the increased protection provided to Sim over the last several months is a first for Vancouver.
“It’s probably a sad commentary on society, but it’s the reality that we do have to provide, you know … the protection and security of our elected officials,” Palmer said.
The Vancouver Police Department has provided additional security details for past mayors, but only for specific occasions and on a “one-off” basis, he added.
Sim spoke out about some of the threats he’s faced last fall, after his home was spray-painted on Halloween. The mayor revealed he had previously been the subject of a bomb threat, as well as multiple protests held outside his residence.
“There have been a number of really disturbing incidents, including online and social media threats to the mayor,” said Palmer. “There have been threats to kill him, threats against his family, various doxing incidents.”
During the graffiti incident, Sim’s home was marked with numerous messages, including “Free Palestine” and “Ken Sim hates poor people.”
Others were written in Chinese characters, including one that roughly translated to “(expletive) your ancestors for 18 generations,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office, which called the phrase “one of the most hateful insults in Chinese culture.”
Palmer said one of the mayor’s businesses has also been targeted with graffiti.
