B.C. government appoints former chief justice to review festival safety measures
The British Columbia government has appointed a former chief justice of the B.C. Supreme Court to report on safety measures for event organizers and police after 11 people were killed when a driver rammed into a crowded street festival in Vancouver.
Premier David Eby says Christopher Hinkson has agreed to serve as commissioner to conduct the review "in a very short period of time."
Eby says Hinkson is expected to report back by June 30 to help guide event organizers across B.C. to "maximize safety," while not retreating from the fact that people want to get together and celebrate.
The premier says he knows there is a lot of anxiety from organizers and those planning to attend events this summer, and that they have questions about security, so he's glad that Hinkson is willing to take on the job.
The commission will study best practices for public safety at community events, especially around traffic control, deploying trained security personnel, and engaging first responders, according to the commission's terms of reference.
Event planner Laura Ballance, who has organized thousands of events in B.C., says the incident was an unimaginable tragedy, but it's also important to understand that attacks such as the one alleged to have happened at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival are difficult to prevent.
She says security and safety have always been the top priority of event organizers, and safety measures also occupy a very large portion of their budgets.
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