Victims' families weren't consulted before city vote on Lapu-Lapu Day memorial event, group says
Vancouver city council has voted unanimously in favour of a motion to hold a memorial event this month for victims of the Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy that left 11 people dead and many others injured.
And while the group that organized the festival, Filipino B.C., say they understand the city's intentions, they're concerned the families of victims were not consulted on the event prior to the decision.
The motion, which was not originally part of council's agenda for Tuesday afternoon, was put forward by Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung, who cited Filipino Heritage Month for the urgency.
"It is fitting to host this event in the month of June, which is the intention, hence the time sensitivity around the request to council today," she said during the meeting.
She also cited the need to finalize costs, including setting aside $50,000 for potential overruns and charging a "nominal ticket fee," with remaining funds to be donated to the Filipino community. Contracts, she said, would be with Canucks Sports & Entertainment, which she said "generously offered" Rogers Arena and staff for free, and TicketMaster, which she said would be waiving fees.
Several councillors initially expressed reluctance, saying while they were not opposed to holding a memorial, they wanted to first consult with members of the communities who were impacted by the tragedy. They suggested deferring the decision to the following day.
Kirby-Yung concluded by saying the city had engaged with community organizations about a memorial event, including with MLA Mable Elmore, who became B.C's first MLA of Filipino heritage in 2009 and has been an outspoken advocate for the community.
"I have every confidence, as was referenced in the different community groups that were involved in the conversations, that this [event] is with the community, for the community and by the community, and the city is simply trying to support that," Kirby-Yung said.
Later that evening, after the motion passed, Filipino B.C. said in a statement that they were "not notified about the urgent motion that Vancouver City Hall voted on."
They said the city had recently informed them it would be hosting "a large scale event in June," and that while Filipino B.C. has been supporting families of victims with financial aid and other services, they have not consulted them about a memorial event specifically.
"We are in regular contact with the City of Vancouver, but Filipino B.C. does not sit on the community steering for the memorial event," the statement reads.
The organization is urging the city to centre the families of victims in its planning of the memorial.
"There is space and need for both intimate, community-led events and a broader large-scale tribute to encourage wider collective healing. However, the timing, tone and format of such an event should be aligned with victims and the communities impacted," the statement reads.
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