Kerry Jang
Kerry Jang is a Canadian politician, currently serving on Vancouver, British Columbia's City Council. He currently serves as a Director of the Greater Vancouver Regional District Board.[1] He was first elected in the 2008 municipal election. Before entering politics, Jang was a professor of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia.
Background[edit]
Born and raised in Vancouver,[2] Jang was the eldest of three siblings.[3] His father, Leslie, was a Vancouver School Board plumber for 20 years, and his mother, May, had an administrative career with the Provincial Court of British Columbia, taught Chinese cooking, and sold cookware.[2] Jang's paternal grandfather had three wives, of which Jang's paternal grandmother was third, and twenty-one children.[3] Jang's grandfather made a fortune as a merchant after immigrating from China, but lost it all in the Great Depression.[3] Jang's maternal grandfather was a pig farmer in China and became a tailor after immigrating to Canada.[3]
Education[edit]
He attended Renfrew Elementary School[3] prior to Windermere Secondary School, where he was not a very good student.[2] He worked on improving his academic record at Vancouver Community College and then transferred to Simon Fraser University to complete his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Psychology.[2] He completed his education with a Ph.D. in Personality Psychology[4] at the University of Western Ontario,[2] where he initially studied under the highly controversial J. Philippe Rushton, known for work on race, intelligence and penis length.[3] Jang has described the experience of witnessing Rushton's censure, and the impact it had on his understanding of politics:
"his theory was that Asians are the smartest people on earth. I didn’t believe it, because, mathematically, if you look at IQ scores there’s so much overlap, there’s no difference. He was wrong. He was censured by the university and I skeedaddled out of his lab within three months. What that taught me was the power of activism. People challenged him. They shut him down. I learned you can take on the big guy in a respectful way. It opened up a wide range of options."[3]
Politics[edit]
In September 2006, Jang announced that he planned to seek the federal NDP nomination for the Vancouver Kingsway Riding, after being called by Jack Layton, the leader of the NDP.[5] The incumbent was David Emerson, who had crossed the aisle to the Conservative Party after the earlier election in 2006.[5] Jang subsequently backed out of the race.[6]
Jang was one of three elected officials who served on Homeless Emergency Action Team,[7] which conceived the controversial[8][9][10] Homeless Emergency Action Team (HEAT) shelters.
In June 2014, Jang faced a court petition to remove him and fellow councillor Geoff Meggs from office for allegedly violating rules on conflict of interest in connection with the rezoning of a public housing project.[11]
Family[edit]
Jang and his wife Vicki live at the corner of 16th and Nootka[3] in the Renfrew-Collingwood area of Vancouver. They have two children, Nicholas and Rachel.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ "Councillor Kerry Jang", City of Vancouver Website, Accessed August 26, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f "About Kerry", KerryJang.ca, Accessed August 26, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Dr. Kerry Jang, Psychiatry Professor, City Council Candidate", Vancouver Observer, December 12, 2008.
- ^ Jang, Kerry L. "The behavioral genetics of psychopathology: a clinical guide"
- ^ a b "Prof seeks Emerson's seat", Georgia Straight, September 14, 2006.
- ^ "Federal NDP can't find candidates of Chinese descent in Vancouver", Asian Canadian, March 5, 2008.
- ^ "Mayor Robertson announces creation of Homeless Emergency Action Team", Gregor Robertson press release, December 9, 2008.
- ^ "Controversial homeless shelter to shut down Aug. 7", Vancouver Sun, July 30, 2009.
- ^ "Decision on HEAT shelter closure likely today", Metro Vancouver, July 29, 2009.
- ^ "Controversial homeless shelter reopens"
- ^ Court petition seeks removal of Kerry Jang and Geoff Meggs from Vancouver city council, Georgia Straight, 23 June 2014
External links[edit]
- Kerry Jang at Vancouver City Council
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