CHARGES FOLLOW CONCERNS OVER ASIAN INVESTMENT

Concerns that Hong Kong investors and immigrants will change the placid ways of this scenic Pacific city have surged into the open with charges of racism not far behind. Mayor Gordon Campbell, who is sponsoring a series of public forums intended to calm the escalating controversy, said people are looking for an easy way to explain the rapid changes tied to the city's growth.

Soaring housing prices and high-profile projects in commercial real estate in the past year have made Asian, specifically Hong Kong, investment the hottest topic in the area.