Latest news with #Kai-JiAdamLo
Global News
20-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
‘Dangerous data void': Number of B.C. residents on extended leave from involuntary care unknown
Concerns are being raised after the provincial government admitted it does not know how many people are on extended leave from involuntary care stays in B.C. On April 30 it was revealed that the suspect in the Lapu Lapu festival tragedy, Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, was under the care of a mental health care team but he was on extended leave at the time. Angela Russolillo, assistant professor in nursing at the University of British Columbia, told Global News that involuntary care and extended leave are not new, however, the lack of data on the number of people is an issue. 'It's concerning that the province actually doesn't have a lot of transparent data on who is certified under the Mental Health Act and who is on extended leave in the province,' she said. Story continues below advertisement 'We're actually operating in a very dangerous data void in terms of transparent data that's available to inform care decisions and ultimately, the lack of data doesn't allow us to, ultimately, design care and interventions for folks that require services.' According to Fraser Health, extended leave means the person continues to be certified under the Mental Health Act after being discharged from a designated facility. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Reasons for the extended leave are not disclosed but may include: 'The person needs further treatment but they lack the insight into their need for continued treatment and are unwilling to continue treatment in the community; The person's mental and physical health may deteriorate (get worse) without the certification but they don't have to be in a designated facility. In a case of an extended leave, Fraser Health states that the person is still supported by a community mental health team that monitors their mental health and well-being and provides treatment and support as necessary. 1:34 New questions surround investigation of Lapu Lapu Day suspect Adam Lo Russolillo said one of the best ways to inform health care and make decisions is by using data-driven materials. Story continues below advertisement 'Unfortunately, what we're seeing a lot right now in the province is a large reliance on involuntary mental health care in order to provide patients, who might need services, with that care,' she said. 'What we really want to see is more access to community-based mental health care, so that folks can access services in their communities voluntarily and get access to a range of services that might include medication supports but also mental health supports.' In a statement on April 30, the B.C. Ministry of Health said there was no indication of violence in Lo's presentation to his mental health team. It also said there was no recent change in his condition or non-compliance with his treatment plan that would have warranted involuntary hospitalization. Eleven people were killed at the Lapu Lapu festival on April 26 and dozens more were injured. Lo has been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder and remains in custody. The provincial government was not available on Tuesday to answer questions about people who are on extended leave from involuntary care stays in B.C.
Winnipeg Free Press
10-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba government matching donations to Filipino community in Vancouver after festival tragedy
The provincial government announced it will match donations up to $50,000 to a fundraiser providing counseling, trauma supports and other resources to victims after an attack at a Vancouver festival left 11 people dead and dozens injured. An SUV drove into a crowd of people at the Lapu-Lapu Day celebrating Filipino culture and history in Vancouver April 26. Vancouver's interim police chief called it the 'darkest day' in the city's history. Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, was arrested and faces eight charges of second-degree murder. The province will match donations to the United Way Kapwa Strong Fund, which can be reached at Donations can also be made at Red Cross of Canada at or the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg at 'These funds can help to support the grieving families and those affected by the tragedy as they continue to process and begin to heal,' said Sport, Culture, Heritage and Tourism Minister Nellie Kennedy. 'Manitoba values our Filipino community, some of whom care for our children, our elders and the sick. It's our turn to care for them as they begin to rebuild following this tragedy.' Donations will be matched in partnership with Jewish organizations in Winnipeg, which will launch a fundraising and awareness campaign.
Hamilton Spectator
08-05-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Groups Warn Against Blaming Mental Illness for Lapu-Lapu Day Tragedy
Politicians and the public should be cautious about pinning the blame on mental illness as the reason behind the Lapu-Lapu Day attack, experts warn. This could further stigmatize people with mental illnesses and be used to increase policing and surveillance of already marginalized communities, they told The Tyee. Around 8 p.m. April 26, East Vancouver resident Kai-Ji Adam Lo allegedly drove an SUV through a crowd at a festival honouring a Filipino hero, killing 11 people and injuring dozens more. He was arrested at the scene. A day later, interim Vancouver police chief Steve Rai said Lo had a 'significant history of interactions with police and health-care processionals related to mental health.' Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim called on the federal government to implement bail reform to keep people who are a danger to themselves or others locked up. On Wednesday Premier David Eby said the province would review the Mental Health Act after learning Lo was being treated under the act. Sim has also said a recurring pattern of people in mental health crisis becoming violent highlights a 'failure in the mental health system.' The Mental Health Act outlines how voluntary and involuntary mental health care is to be provided to British Columbians. According to reporting by the Globe and Mail, Lo was an involuntary outpatient in the care of a community mental health team at the time of the attack. He had been deemed at high risk of a decline in his mental health and his care team noted his unwillingness to take his medications for schizophrenia. People on extended leave under the Mental Health Act are assessed and approved for supervised, mandatory care in their community, which often allows them to live at home or work their regular job while receiving care. In a statement, Vancouver Coastal Health said Lo's care team didn't see any flags that would have suggested he was violent. Jonny Morris, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association's B.C. division, said that reaching for solutions to tragedies is a natural response to trauma and can be based on public safety concerns. But the public and politicians should avoid drawing conclusions as the investigation is just getting started, he told The Tyee. Blaming mental illness might oversimplify the situation and miss an opportunity to look at the bigger picture, Morris said. It could also further stigmatize mental illness and make people less likely to seek mental health care, he added. That's important because the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto reports that in any given year, one in five Canadians experiences mental illness, and by the time they reach 40, one in two has had a mental illness, he said. The quick response also allows politicians to take the easy out and propose an increase in law and order as a solution, said Ethel Tungohan, a Canada Research Chair in Canadian migration policy, impacts and activism and an associate professor of politics at York University. 'As a racialized migrant group, Filipino communities get surveilled all the time,' she said. In Toronto, 'we're hitting the 21st anniversary of the death at the hands of police of Jeffrey Reodica, the Filipino high school student. So that's not the solution we want.' Reodica was shot in the back three times while two police officers handcuffed him. The police had been called in to break up a fight. Proposing 'law and order' solutions ignores the larger history of discrimination, surveillance and targeting of the Filipino community, dismisses the incident as a one-off and allows for increased surveillance of an already over-surveilled community, she said. 'We're not talking about surveilling and policing mainstream Canadian communities,' she said. 'When people and politicians talk about that, they're thinking specifically of racialized groups who they think don't belong in Canada and are a danger to Canada.' Earlier last week BAYAN Canada, an alliance of anti-imperialist groups organizing for democracy in the Philippines, and Migrante Canada, an alliance of Filipino migrant and immigrant organizations in Canada, also condemned the blaming of mental illness for the attacks. In a press release, BAYAN Canada pushed back against the use of mental health to 'justify more state-sponsored harassment of marginalized communities and to distract from the growing racism and anti-migrant sentiment in Canada.' Instead they called on politicians to look at solutions to issues like poverty, isolation, state violence and cultural extermination faced by migrant and immigrant communities in Canada, which can contribute to mental illness. Migrante Canada similarly condemned the 'downplaying' of the attack by considering it an isolated mental health incident. 'Mental health issues are not just personal struggles but products of a society marked by exploitation, alienation and discrimination. Mental health must not be used as an excuse to erase or distract the course of justice and accountability,' Migrante Canada said in a press release. If politicians want to focus on mental health they could look at how this attack has impacted immigrant, migrant and Filipino communities' mental health, Tungohan said. 'We should think about structural supports that are needed by communities and to make sure these supports include robust protection for people facing mental health crisis and the underlying factors causing mental health distress,' she added. The Canadian Mental Health Association's Morris said the best way to respond to the attack is to let ourselves grieve and feel angry, while being cautious of jumping to conclusions or trying to push solutions that will make us feel better in the moment. 'We're in a critical moment to prioritize the care, support and resources that are required to really deal with the aftermath, the grief, loss, pain,' he said. 'That's going to be really underscored by needing to listen to and provide support and being really present in and around this.' As the investigation unfolds, people should try to remain open-minded and work to avoid drawing 'simplistic and potentially very flawed conclusions,' Morris said. This will help everyone to be able to take a really deep look at what needs to change, he said.
CBC
03-05-2025
- CBC
Lapu-Lapu Day Festival accused makes court appearance
The man charged with murder in relation to the Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy appeared in provincial court on Friday. Thirty-year-old Kai-Ji Adam Lo is charged with eight counts of second-degree murder. CBC's Chad Pawson has more from the provincial courthouse in Vancouver.
Global News
02-05-2025
- Global News
Lapu Lapu Day attack suspect had a drone in his possession, sources say
Days after the disturbing mass killing at the Lapu Lapu festival in Vancouver, there are new questions about that night. Questions that involve possible evidence and intent. Sources have told Global News that murder suspect Kai-Ji Adam Lo had in his possession, at the time of the incident, a drone. It remains unclear why he had the drone or how it was used. 1:07 Provincial day of mourning for Lapu Lapu festival victims Was the drone flown to view the area beforehand? Was anything recorded? Police won't answer those questions. Story continues below advertisement Nor will they say if the drone forms part of their investigation. Vancouver police continue to seek first-hand video and witnesses. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'What you have to say is incredibly important to us. We want to speak to you. We invite you to come forward and share your first-person account of what happened,' Vancouver police Sgt. Steve Addison said. 2:02 First-responders pay respects at growing Lapu Lapu Day memorial As the investigation continues, and B.C.'s Mental Health Act faces a review, a number of municipalities are calling on the province to improve mental health care supports. 'Many municipalities have stepped up and said we have a site and would like you to locate beds in our community to provide this kind of care,' Premier David Eby said. 'I'm very grateful for that.' Story continues below advertisement Lo remains in police custody and is charged with eight counts of second-degree murder. It remains unclear whether those charges will be upgraded, but prosecutors are expected to lay additional charges in the attack.
