August 5, 2026 – Speaking in the English-Language World
This is my eighth record of this matter.
Over the past several days, I have become increasingly convinced of one thing: in circumstances like these, a complete record is itself the most powerful thing.
1. The Ombudsperson’s Reply
The most substantive development today came from the Office of the British Columbia Ombudsperson. On July 29, I filed a complaint with the Office concerning the process: before passing a motion that singled me out and condemned me, City Council did not notify me or give me any opportunity to make representations, nor did it notify me afterward. I learned about it through media reporting. At 3:41 this afternoon, the Office replied (File: 26-005380). Its response was that, ordinarily, a complainant is advised to use the public body’s own complaint process first. The next step is to raise the matter with Chief Administrative Officer Serena Lusk and ask her to respond in writing. If the City’s response does not resolve the issue, I may return to the Ombudsperson and submit the City’s response at that time. This is not a refusal. It is the procedural sequence. I followed that direction at 9:42 p.m. I wrote to Serena Lusk, copied the Ombudsperson’s office, and set out the facts chronologically:
On July 28, I wrote to Mayor Brodie and Councillors Day, Gillanders, and Heed. On July 29, I wrote to Councillor McNulty. No councillor, including the Mayor, has replied to any of those letters. On July 29, I submitted a freedom of information request to the City Clerk’s Office. I have requested that all communications concerning this matter be conducted in writing so that a complete record is preserved. Preserve a complete record.
2. Beginning to Speak in the English-Language World
The real turning point today is here. Over the past two weeks, I have said a great deal in the Chinese-language world. Everyone there understands. Many friends have reposted my material, left comments, and called me. I am deeply grateful. But what good does that do?
In the English-language world, I am still the person portrayed in those reports of July 25. Almost no one has followed what happened afterward: City Council voted without notifying me; I delivered the complete text to every councillor; and no one replied for days. There is almost no bridge between these two worlds. So, beginning today, wherever this matter involving me is discussed, I will respond fully. I will state my facts in the language used there. At noon today, I responded on X to reporter Sam Cooper, who had placed me alongside the subject of foreign interference. I have already written about the main points many times and will not repeat them. The central point is a single sentence: his own quotation contains the answer. At 12:30, I also left comments for two city councillors. I asked only one question: please identify the sentence on which the statements made in Council were based. None of these responses contained emotion. Not because I am not angry, but because I know that, in this matter, restraint is more powerful than anger. Anger will be treated as evidence. Facts will not.
3. Regarding the Person Seeking to Take Away My Livelihood
Yesterday, a man named Bob Ransford posted publicly on Facebook, calling on the British Columbia Real Estate Association to impose professional discipline on me for “unprofessional conduct,” on the ground that I had made “racist statements.” Under his post, a person of unknown identity named Yao Yong’an suggested: “Take this to the mainstream media, and the association will have no choice but to respond.” He replied: “They are aware.”
I left a comment under his post. Before explaining what I asked, let me first say who this man is. He is a fourth-generation resident of Richmond. His grandfather, Robert G. Ransford, served as a Richmond city councillor. His family has been in this city for more than a century. He has worked in journalism. In the 1980s, he was a reporter at a local Richmond radio station, served as an editor at the Richmond News, and wrote a column for many years. He has worked in politics. In 1981, he went to Ottawa to work for then-Richmond Member of Parliament Tom Siddon. He later participated in Brian Mulroney’s campaign for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party. After Mulroney became Prime Minister in 1984, he served in the federal government as executive assistant to the Government Caucus Chair. In 1986, he returned to British Columbia and served as executive assistant to Premier Bill Vander Zalm. He later returned to Richmond and worked in real estate development for many years. I am not listing these facts to dredge up his past. Quite the opposite. I list them because a person with such a background should understand one thing especially clearly: in Canada, publicly accusing someone of being a racist is an extremely serious matter.
He has been a journalist and knows that quotations require sources. He has served as a political aide and knows what procedural fairness means. His family has included an elected office-holder, so he should understand the weight of public authority and public accusations. He has lived in this city all his life and should understand better than anyone that Richmond is a multi-ethnic city, and that the thing it can least withstand is manufactured hatred between communities. So I asked him only two questions:
First: Which Sentence?
My article states in black and white that the purpose of increasing voter turnout is not to support any particular candidate; regardless of whom voters choose, even a candidate of another ethnicity, we must accept the result because it is the voters’ free choice. The complete text is public in both Chinese and English. Please identify the sentence supporting the accusation of “racism.”
Second: Regarding the Process
Before there has been any complaint, any ruling, or any opportunity for me to make representations, what standard permits a public call to deprive someone of their professional licence? I do not accuse him of any motive. Even if he is a friend of one of the councillors involved, I will not speculate about what that means. I ask only that he address the text itself.
4. The Same Question, Asked of Three People
Today, I asked three people the same question. Not one of them answered. Because the answer is that no one read the article. “City Council may condemn an article, but it cannot condemn an article that no one has read.” I said this at the end of July. As of today, no one has shown that I was wrong.
A Request
At this point, I would like to make a request of everyone. Looking at English-language social media, the situation is becoming increasingly complicated and serious. I need to find a lawyer. Over the past several days, I have taken every procedural step available to me: filing a complaint with the Ombudsperson, submitting a freedom of information request to the City, and writing to every city councillor. But I now understand clearly that the next steps – the procedural issues surrounding the City Council motion, the referral to the Human Rights Tribunal, and correction of the public record – are not matters I can assess alone using common sense. Some deadlines are also running. They will not wait. I am seeking a lawyer with practical experience in British Columbia in defamation law, municipal law, or civil liberties, preferably someone who has handled cases involving local government or the media.
If you know a suitable person, or have worked with a lawyer whom you found reliable, I respectfully ask you to recommend that person to me. Either Chinese or English is acceptable. I want to make two points clear: First, I will pay legal fees at the normal rate. This is a private matter. I will not accept donations of any kind, nor do I intend to launch any fundraising effort. Second, I am asking for professional advice, not a particular position. I need someone who can tell me, “This path will not work,” not someone who merely agrees with me. Contact: jasonliu@luxmore.ai Thank you in advance.
5. Sunday’s Seminar Will Proceed as Scheduled
I have received so many messages of concern over the past several days, from friends in Toronto, New York, San Francisco, and China, as well as many people I have never met. I have still not had time to reply to every message. Please forgive me, and please believe that I have seen every one. Some people have asked: given everything happening recently, will Sunday’s seminar still take place? Yes. August 9 at 10:00 a.m., 11111 Horseshoe Way. “Current Real Estate Market Analysis and Practical GEO.” This is my profession and the work I have actually been doing over the years. The company must continue operating, my colleagues must continue working, and the people who registered are still waiting. My personal situation should not take these things away. Someone wants to take away my livelihood. My answer is that at 10:00 that morning, I will be standing there on time, presenting two hours of market data and AI applications. I will not discuss this matter that day. For those who want to understand it, everything is set out clearly on my WeChat Official Account. Next week, I will go away and rest for a while. I have indeed been tired over the past several days. The medication prescribed by my doctor slows my reactions, and my mind feels dull for a period after I wake. I need to step away from this situation for several days. But I will stand and deliver this entire seminar. Please click the link or scan the QR code in the image: https://forms.gle/jcJvSLJ67ZU5WgVW6
6. Why I Still Believe
By the time I finished all of this today, it was already very late. Some people have asked why I continue making such an effort. Because I believe that, in a civilized country, matters are ultimately resolved through reason. Multiculturalism is not a slogan. Its true purpose is to give minorities an opportunity: an opportunity to speak, an opportunity to be heard, and an opportunity, when accused, to require the accuser to produce evidence. I have never asked anyone to admit defeat.
What I ask is this: identify the sentence, or correct the public record. This request is simple, specific, and answerable. It has been in the hands of every city councillor for a full week. If this country truly is what it says it is, someone will eventually read the article carefully. If it is not, then I have even more reason to speak. Richmond votes on October 17. I will vote. I hope you will too. Whom you vote for is your choice.
Luxmore Realty | Jason Liu | Author of AI Economics
Infrastructure determines the ceiling; data determines the moat.