Mayor Ken Sim issues official apology to Vancouver Park Board commissioner

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim has issued a public apology to Park Board Commissioner Laura Christensen after he left her out of a critical meeting on the board’s future.

The apology comes after Integrity Commissioner Lisa Southern received a complaint from a member of the public.

The 11-page report issued by Southern following a review detailed how Christensen wasn’t able to dial in to an in-person meeting on Dec. 5, despite the fact that she was at home caring for her newborn child. It was at that meeting that Sim told the ABC Park Board commissioners that he would be moving to dismantle the elected body.

City council was ordered to write a letter of reprimand to the mayor, while Sim and council were also directed to issue a public letter of apology to Christensen.

“I am writing to offer my sincere apologies for the failure to accommodate your virtual attendance at a meeting late last year, especially considering the new addition to your family,” Sim’s apology letter reads.

“I was to express my heartfelt apology for any inconvenience or distress this event caused you. I recognize the significant challenge and adjustment that comes with balancing work responsibilities alongside the joys and demands of welcoming a new family member into your life.

“Please know that the City of Vancouver values and appreciates your contributions to our city, and my office is committed (to) making the necessary changes to ensure a more supportive and inclusive work environment,” the mayor’s apology concludes.

Southern said in her report that the mayor’s “actions created a distinction based on Commissioner Christensen’s sex and family status, and this had an adverse impact on her.”

“He knew Commissioner Christensen had a newborn,” Southern wrote. “Previously, her situation had been accommodated by allowing her to attend meetings remotely because attending in person in the later stages of pregnancy or with a newborn were challenging.”

Southern continued by saying despite this, “Sim did not make reasonable efforts to ensure Commissioner Christensen knew the Meeting was important and there could be consequences for her if she did not attend.”

“He also did not make reasonable efforts to ensure she knew the Meeting could not be attended remotely as she had been permitted to do on previous occasions or could not be attended remotely without her first signing an NDA,” she wrote.

Sim previously told the Integrity Office that all six ABC commissioners — which included Christensen at the time — were aware of the meeting, saying they had all received emails, calendar invites, and follow-up phone calls.

However, Christensen told CityNews that was never made clear to her, claiming no effort was made after the Dec. 5 meeting to have her sign an NDA so she could be given the same information and opportunity to respond that other commissioners got.

Christensen now sits as an independent commissioner, alongside fellow former ABC colleagues Scott Jensen and Brennan Bastyovanszky. Jensen and Bastyovanszky were also excluded from the news conference announcing plans to dismantle the Vancouver Park Board, reportedly because of their opposition to Sim’s plan, both men have suggested.

Meanwhile, Southern made it clear in her report that the finding does not mean Sim intentionally discriminated against Christensen.

“There was no evidence that the exclusions found in this investigation that gave rise to a breach were done on purpose or by design by Mayor Sim. To the contrary, Mayor Sim has demonstrated, consistently, his commitment to inclusion, diversity, and human rights, and has attended all educational sessions that the Office of the Integrity Commissioner has hosted on these topics,” she wrote.

“However, it is well established in human rights law that intent is not required for a finding of discrimination.”

In addition to a letter of reprimand for Sim and a public apology to Christensen, Southern’s recommendations call for council and the mayor’s staff to undergo further training on human rights obligations.