Bob Mackin
The main message of Mayor Ken Sim’s ABC Vancouver re-election campaign is public safety.
But one of his candidates for School Board, Lina Vargas, posted a video on her Instagram account that was recorded while she was driving.
At one point, there is even a motion detection prompt from an onboard device.
ABC School Board candidate Lina Vargas. (Vargas/Instagram)
Nobody from the ABC campaign has responded for comment.
Distracted driving is worth a $368 fine plus four penalty points if caught.
“If you’re looking at your phone, you can’t see the road,” said the ICBC website. “Anything that takes your attention away from driving can contribute to distracted driving. Even when stopped, checking an electronic device affects your focus.”
Vargas’s election bio said she is the founding president of the Diversity and Inclusion Support Group of B.C. She is not the only ABC politician to have driven and talked.
Vargas not alone
Sim’s Deputy Mayor Sarah Kirby-Yung, who is married to NDP minster of state for community safety Terry Yung, drove while speaking during a Dec. 11, 2024 committee meeting.
“ABC campaigns on public safety, yet their candidates keep filming behind the wheel,” said Vancouver Liberals city council candidate Armor Valor. “Rules for you, not for me.”
In early 2024, Conservative Party of B.C. candidate in Burnaby South-Metrotown, Han Lee, posted a video shot en route to a town hall meeting. Then-leader John Rustad told theBreaker that he suggested Lee visit the Vancouver Police Department and self-report the violation.
The Vancouver civic election is Oct. 17. Early voting continues Oct. 7, 10 and 13.
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