How Victoria’s Mayor convinced a Chinese mall owner to sponsor the capital city’s Canada Day
Documents show Lisa Helps did the $100,000 deal with Weihong Liu's Central Walk.
The year after Victoria city council cancelled Canada Day events, then-Mayor Lisa Helps sold the 2022 sponsorship to a shopping mall tycoon with ties to the Chinese government.
Documents obtained by theBreaker.news under freedom of information show Helps met with an executive from Weihong (Ruby) Liu’s Central Walk, who agreed to the $100,000 package.
Before Helps met with Fang Sun for breakfast, she emailed a City of Victoria business and community relations manager about her plan to “lock them in as a sponsor for this year and the next two years as well.”
Victoria cancelled the 2020 and 2021 in-person events due to the pandemic. A substitute broadcast for 2021’s Canada Day was postponed after the false claim in May 2021 that a mass grave was found on the former Kamloops Indian Residential School site. Helps still made it a primary theme of the relaunched 2022 event.
“She already informally said ‘yes’ but I would like to solidify it with supporting materials,” Helps wrote in a March 12, 2022 email. “Could I review the deck on Wednesday afternoon so that I can make sure it will appeal to this particular donor, and make any changes in a timely way.”
The deck touted a VIP reception (“Exclusive networking event with dignitaries and other special guests”), social media presence, mainstream media exposure, on-site recognition and brand activation.
Helps asked for an image of fireworks to be used for the last slide. “Also, one more thing, can you personalize the last slide make it say ‘Opportunity for Central Walk as Flagship Sponsor’.” It does not mention why Helps did not suggest Mayfair Shopping Centre be on the marquee, the year after Central Walk bought the 1963-opened property.
Sun responded March 20, 2022.
“I reported to Ms Liu Friday evening about our breakfast meeting; she is happy,” Sun wrote. “Yes, Central Walk will sponsor Canada Day for 2022, very possibly 23 and 24.”
They agreed to a May 30 contract that called the event “Victoria Canada Day presented by Central Walk” and included where, when and how the company would be promoted.
Deadline for the $100,000 payment was June 15, but the invoice went out a week late.
Central Walk, however, did not exercise the option for 2023.
Liu’s Central Walk originated in Shenzhen, China. She has held positions on the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, Guangdong Overseas Friendship Association and Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Political Consultative Conference, an arm of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
In January 2023, Tsawwassen Mills hosted a Lunar New Yeark event that involved the Chinese consul general and several pro-Beijing groups that support the consulate.
In a June 2023 interview with the 56 Below TV YouTube outlet, Liu denied she is a “white glove” or proxy for the CCP.
Fast forward to 2025, and Liu is seeking bankruptcy court approval to take over 28 former Hudson’s Bay Company store leases for her Ruby Liu concept (Canadian Tire bought the defunct Bay’s trademarks).
She has secured the leases at the Central Walk-owned Woodgrove Centre (Nanaimo), Mayfair Shopping Centre (Victoria) and Tsawwassen Mills properties. Landlords for 23 locations, however, are opposed.
As for Helps, she did not run for re-election in 2022. Instead, she became an advisor to Premier David Eby and then executive lead for the NDP government’s BC Builds project.
Helps was one of the few big city mayors who attended the Chinese government-sponsored reception at the 2019 Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention. Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West led a boycott based on China’s human rights record and kidnapping of the Two Michaels.
In an interview at the receiption, Helps said she was proud of her good relationship with the Chinese consulate and Victoria’s sister city relationship with Suzhou, China.
As for China’s human rights record, Helps said “that’s not my role as mayor to deal with those issues. That’s far beyond my pay grade, my job is to advocate on behalf of my citizens and work for sustainable jobs and sustainable community in Victoria. I can’t solve those problems.”
Communists helping Communists, that's all.