Vancouver councillor says opponents are drug users in WeChat video

A Vancouver councillor posted a WeChat video alleging some opposition councillors used and distributed drugs; those councillors requested a review by the city's integrity commissioner and the councillor later retracted the remarks and apologized.

A Vancouver councillor, Lenny Zhou, posted a short video on WeChat in which he accused some opposition councillors of using and distributing drugs and urged the Chinese-speaking community to attend council on a housing vote. Opposition councillors held a press conference at city hall to share a verified translation of the video and said the comments breached the city's code of conduct. They announced they would seek a review by Vancouver's integrity commissioner. The mayor's office later published an apology from Zhou, who said he based his remarks on incorrect information, retracted the statements and removed the video. Key facts: - Lenny Zhou posted a WeChat video alleging some opposition councillors used and distributed drugs. - Opposition councillors Rebecca Bligh, Pete Fry, Lucy Maloney and Sean Orr held a press conference to highlight the remarks. - The councillors said they would ask the city's integrity commissioner to review the comments as a potential code-of-conduct breach. - The mayor's office released a statement in which Zhou apologized, retracted the remarks and removed the video. Summary: The episode centers on public allegations made in a foreign-language social media video and a subsequent request for an integrity-commissioner review. The integrity commissioner's review has been requested and the councillor issued a public retraction and apology; the formal review process is the next stated step.