Vancouver mayor Ken Sim has launched a fund dedicated to supporting the mental health of firefighters. According to new revelations, the fund, which the Vancouver Firefighter Charities administer, is set to accept both cash donations and digital assets, particularly Bitcoin.
In the statement released by the Mayor’s office, the development comes from figures released by the Canadian Mental Health Association that show that suicide rates among firefighters are 30% higher than those of the general public, due to the trauma they face on the job.
“To date, donors have pledged a combined total of 3.5 bitcoin to the fund, a value equivalent to approximately C$550,000,” said a statement from the mayor’s office.
Vancouver mayor floats firefighter mental health fund
Initially, the Vancouver Fighter Charities had raised about 2.7 million Canadian dollars last week during a fundraiser. It was during the fundraiser that Sim announced the fund, explaining to the audience how it would help victims. According to the Mayor’s office, the pledges will be added to the raised funds, noting that it will go a long way to help victims of mental health issues among the firefighters in Vancouver.
Eric Himmelman, the executive director of the Vancouver Firefighter Charities, said that the organization will do its best to distribute the funds meaningfully. “Any funding and awareness going towards delivering more mental health support for firefighters who are struggling is greatly appreciated and necessary now more than ever before,” he added. A report is expected to be presented by staff this fall.
This initiative is coming at a time when there is increased volatility in the crypto market. As previously reported by Cryptopolitan, the Federal Reserve recently announced its first interest rate cut for 2025, leading analysts and experts to speculate that it could trigger bears in the short term. In addition, the cut has awoken whales, who are now shifting assets, which, according to analysts, might be moves to take profits before the asset drops further.
Ken Sim continues to push for a Bitcoin-friendly city
This is not Ken Sim’s first brush with digital assets, with the Vancouver Mayor mentioning last year that he is interested in cryptocurrency investments. He mentioned it at a council meeting in November 2024, noting that he plans to present a motion titled, “Preserving the City’s Purchasing Power Through Diversification of Financial Resources Becoming a Bitcoin Friendly City.”
The push came at a time when corporations were moving into Bitcoin, and countries were also looking to set up their Bitcoin strategic reserve. When asked for more information on his motion, Sim, at the time, did not give too many details. He noted that he did not have any additional details to share until he submitted the final motion, a move that has since caused division among residents in Vancouver.
According to some of the residents, Sim appears to be pro-Bitcoin, and they love him for it. They believe that he wants Vancouver to become the next Bitcoin-friendly city in the world. “That seems to be the goal, so we’ll see where that goes, but it’s exciting,” a resident said. Meanwhile, the thought didn’t seem to go down well with Andreas Park, a finance professor at the University of Toronto, who urged caution on these kinds of investments.
“I don’t actually like it when government officials, in any form, invest public money in anything,” he said. “It’s not their business to do.” Park mentioned that instead of diving headfirst into digital assets, the government should focus on blockchain technology, noting that it could be useful to the entire city.
Meanwhile, Sim has continued to push for Vancouver to become a Bitcoin-friendly city, with the mayor quoted in a recent interview saying that pushing for Bitcoin is a hill he is willing to die on.