Kerry Jang

Kerry Jang is a Canadian politician and psychologist. He previously served as councillor on Vancouver, British Columbia's City Council between 2008 and 2018. From 2013, he also represented the city of Vancouver on the Greater Vancouver Regional District Board as a director.

Prior to his election as councillor, Jang served as a professor of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, a position he returned to after leaving politics.

Background Born and raised in Vancouver, Jang was the eldest of three siblings. at the University of Western Ontario, The incumbent was David Emerson, who had crossed the aisle to the Conservative Party after the earlier election in 2006.

He was first elected councilor in the 2008 Vancouver municipal election under the Vision Vancouver banner, and re-elected in the 2011 and 2014 municipal elections. which conceived the controversial Homeless Emergency Action Team (HEAT) shelters.

In June 2014, Jang faced a court petition to remove him and fellow councilor Geoff Meggs from office for allegedly violating rules on conflict of interest in connection with the rezoning of a public housing project.

In October 2016, Jang came under fire from Chinese Canadians after participating in the raising of a People's Republic of China national flag on the grounds of the Vancouver City Hall, sporting a red scarf. The event, organized by the Canadian Alliance of Chinese Associations to mark China's National Day, is one of many flag ceremonies held at city hall. The Alliance of the Guard of Canadian Values, a group of mainland Chinese immigrants which has protested local celebrations of Communist leader Mao Zedong, started an online petition calling for Jang's resignation. "I was shocked," said Meena Wong, former mayoral candidate for COPE, "to have my city councillor in my city hall raising the flag wearing the symbol of loyalty to communism, I was dumbfounded." Jang tried to deflect criticism by suggesting that the Chinese Canadian protesters were "rooted in ignorance and racism. [...] To them it doesn't matter if it's a Communist government in China, they're just anti-Chinese."

Jang announced in January 2018 he would not run in the municipal election to be held in November that year.

Family Jang and his wife Vicki reside in the Renfrew-Collingwood area in East Vancouver. They have two children.