Vancouver mayor hires new communications director

A man with experience in conservative provincial governments is Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s new director of communications.

The City of Vancouver has confirmed to CityNews that Harrison Fleming has been hired for the role, which largely involves leading the mayor’s public relations strategy.

Prior to this, Fleming served as the director of communications for Ontario’s Ministry of Education under the Doug Ford government.

Harrison Fleming, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s new communications director. (Source: LinkedIn)

Before that, he was the deputy director of government communications with the Alberta government under then-Premier Jason Kenney. He also served as a speechwriter and deputy press secretary with the Kenney regime.

“We welcome someone with the experience, caliber, and dedication to public service across our country as Harrison,” said Trevor Ford, Sim’s interim chief of staff, told CityNews in an email.

Rumours of the hiring began circulating on social media Wednesday, stirring up reaction from at least one opposition party in Vancouver.

“Ken Sim’s newest hire left a government that doesn’t believe climate change is real to work for a government that is in the middle of an $8 billion corruption scandal and is being investigated by the RCMP,” OneCity Vancouver wrote on “X”, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Coun. Christine Boyle, the lone OneCity Vancouver member on council, re-shared her party’s tweet.

Taylor Verrall, Sim’s previous communications director who was part of ABC Vancouver’s 2022 election win, announced last month that he was no longer with the mayor’s office.