Sitting down at the outdoor patio at Richmond City Hall, where Henry Yao has been spending a lot of time lately, a gust of wind knocks over a water bottle not belonging to him.
“Oh, sorry,” said Yao.
Yao, a city council candidate from last election, has gone from a Taiwanese immigrant at age 11, to a McNair graduate at age 18 to a cancer survivor at age 25. And after 10 years as a youth worker, he’s become as humble and apologetic as your stereotypical Canadian.
“I really enjoy being a Canadian, I enjoy being here,” said Yao.
Yao is asked what he does in his spare time.
“I don’t do much, I’m sorry I’m not very interesting,” he said.
Pressed further to admit something admirable about himself, he’s asked what his wife saw to want to marry him.
“Oh boy, I don’t know,” he replies after a brief moment.
Perhaps, it was Yao’s determination; particularly his will to help others.
But that wasn’t always the case, Yao admitted. Before being diagnosed with lymphoma, he had just obtained a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and was on a career path toward business. He even dabbled in the stock market (and still does).
“I was vain … I wish I was more engaged in university, I wish I had more knowledge,” said Yao.
Six months of chemotherapy caused Yao to lose his hair. To this day, he still shaves it as a reminder of the event that “shifted” his “mental paradigm.”
He calls himself a “serious” person, someone who is not very good at small talk and would rather dive deep into a conversation over an important social issue. He can’t name a favourite comedian and limits his television viewing to documentaries and the odd cooking show.
But he does do things, such as salsa dancing with his wife and studying Wing Chun martial arts.
It’s clear Yao is determined to help others.
“A lot of things I’ve done in my life, including running for council, is always because something was missing for me (as a child) that I want others to have,” he said.
That’s why he chose youth work, he added.
“When I was a youth worker, I despised the fact we often treat youth like a group of kids that needs to be entertained. I think that undermines their potential and expectations from society,” he said.
Yao said he came from a modest background in Taiwan. He said his father worked in the army and his mother at the post office and then worked as a warehouse manager and dishwasher, respectively.
Upon arrival in 1990, Yao said he immediately came to value Canada’s environment.
“I know in Taiwan, water has always been an issue so drinking tap water was a complete shock for me. And, I remember getting off the plane and saying to my father ‘wow, that smells so weird, what is that smell.’ He told me ‘that’s fresh air.’”
Yao also appreciated playing street hockey instead of studying all night, as he would have been forced to do in Taiwan, so says his dad.
“Academics is good but creativity and innovation and social skills all develop through interactions with other people,” said Yao.
He still lives with his parents, along with his wife, in the family’s single-family home in the Shellmont neighbourhood.
That no doubt helped Yao save money for his $17,000 independent campaign on council that fell well short. He also quit his job at the City of Richmond to run in the election and is still exploring career options.
Every other Monday evening he is present at Richmond City Council meetings, unlike many other past challengers.
“I heard Mayor Malcolm Brodie criticize Richard Lee for never attending a meeting, so I want to understand the process and read the documents and understand the issues,” said Yao.
