VANCOUVER—When Hong Kong protests flared up against proposed extradition reforms this summer, Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland expected a rush of applications from Hong Kong residents looking to come to Canada. There are more than 300,000 Canadian citizens residing in Hong Kong — and it made sense, he said, that in the midst of turmoil many might be devising an escape route to this country, and to Vancouver, which has strong ties to the semi-autonomous city.But that’s not what happened. There was no noticeable increase. Instead, he said, Hong Kongers with “Canadian return possibilities” appeared determined to stay in their city to “stick it out” for the protests, which have continued for months in the shadow of Beijing’s disapproval.“It’s absolutely shocking,” Kurland told the Star Vancouver on Monday.That commitment has been reaffirmed, in his view, by this weekend’s election results, that saw pro-democracy candidates sweep nearly 90 per cent of 452 district council seats, taking unprecedented control of 17 out of 18 district councils.“This furthers my impression that Hong Kong residents will doggedly fight to protect their democratic rights this election and it signals faith in democracy,” said Kurland.From his Vancouver apartment, community organizer Kevin Huang was up late on Sunday night to watch the election results. A supporter of the protests and pro-democracy efforts in Vancouver, and a self-professed “election nerd,” he said he saw the vote as a key factor in how the protests continue to play out.“This represents how the majority of Hong Kongers really support the protests, with 50 per cent of seats changing over to pro-democracy candidates,” Huang told the Star Vancouver.“That’s a huge swing ... The fight is definitely not over.”It’s unclear whether Sunday’s record-breaking voter turnout of more than 2.7 ...
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