Vancouver Mayor Sim calls for mental health reform, city review after Lapu Lapu day tragedy
Vancouver Mayor Sim calls for mental health reform, city review after Lapu Lapu day tragedy
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says the city will review safety protocols after the Lapu Lapu Day tragedy and is calling for urgent mental health reforms.
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Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Criticism of Lapu Lapu memorial event surprises Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim
VANCOUVER – Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says he's surprised by criticism of plans for a large memorial event this month to honour victims of the Lapu Lapu festival attack, which a Filipino advocacy group says was arranged without proper consultation. Filipino BC says it wasn't told in advance about a vote approving the event by the city council on Tuesday, and the city should be prioritizing emergency recovery funding for those affected by the April 26 tragedy in which 11 people were killed and dozens hurt. The motion, brought by Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung, outlines an event called 'Come Together; Vancouver Strong' at Rogers Arena in June, but no specific date has been set. Sim says in a statement Wednesday that his office was surprised by Filipino BC's criticism given what he calls 'ongoing and regular communication' with the organization. He says there was a meeting with Filipino BC on Friday, attended by its executive director, where the memorial event was discussed. Sim says his office has reached out to Filipino BC to seek clarification and reaffirm a shared commitment to ensuring the event is done with the community. Kirby-Yung had told the council meeting the Filipino community had been working with the mayor's office and was comfortable with the event. Filipino BC said in its statement issued later Tuesday that 'the timing, tone and format of such an event should be aligned with victims and the communities impacted.' 'While we understand the city's desire to create space for collective mourning and healing, it is critical that this process centres the voices of the families and affected communities,' it said. Kirby-Yung said she was advised by the mayor's office to bring the motion forward, on behalf of B.C. MLA Mable Elmore and that Filipino BC was engaged in the plans. Councillors Peter Fry and Lucy Maloney had questioned whether the Filipino community was aware of the motion, but it ultimately passed unanimously. Elmore — who is of Filipino heritage and was at the Lapu Lapu Festival when the attack took place — issued a statement on Wednesday saying the event that she described as a benefit concert 'is a welcome step toward healing.' 'Mayor Sim, his staff, Filipino BC, and other stakeholders have been present at the table and working together to prepare for 'Come Together: Vancouver Strong,' Elmore said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June, 4, 2025.
CBC
4 days ago
- CBC
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.
CBC
30-05-2025
- CBC
Lapu-Lapu murder suspect to face trial on mental fitness
Social Sharing Kai-Ji Adam Lo, the suspect in the Vancouver street festival tragedy that left 11 people dead and dozens injured, will face a two-day trial later this summer to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial for murder. Mark Swartz, Lo's lawyer, requested the trial at a hearing Friday in Vancouver Provincial Court to confirm an in-custody mental health assessment has been completed. The mental fitness trial will be scheduled to run for two days, likely in July, under presiding Judge Reginald Harris. Lo will be required to attend in person. Lo is accused of driving his SUV through a crowd of people at the Filipino community's Lapu-Lapu Day street festival on April 26. He is charged with eight counts of second-degree murder. A five-year-old girl, eight women and two men were killed in the car-ramming. Lo appeared in court Friday via video from where he is being held. He had unruly hair, a thin mustache and was wearing a black sweatshirt. Crown prosecutor Michaela Donnelly requested an updated psychological report be done in the weeks before the mental fitness trial. Harris agreed, stating that in his experience in similar type cases that mental health can change and evolve "dramatically." Some details revealed in Lo's court proceedings so far are under a publication ban and Swartz indicated he will be asking for a similar ban on evidence brought at the trial. Harris said he is required to balance the open court system and the right of media to inform the public versus the possibility of tainting a future jury in a murder trial — if the case comes to that — and preserving Lo's charter right to a fair trial.
