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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
1 month later, Lapu-Lapu Day witness, victim reflect on their experiences
Rosadene Alcala Apeles was thinking of packing their jewelry booth at the end of the Lapu-Lapu Day festival just over a month ago when they spotted an SUV driving very quickly towards them. Apeles says their table was located close to the unprotected barrier that closed off 43rd Avenue for food trucks and vendors at the festival. "I saw that black SUV — it was coming in pretty hot, and I felt like, this is a school zone. Why is it going so fast?" they told CBC's On the Coast host Gloria Macarenko. "And then the car just didn't stop." Apeles heard tires screeching. And then the car raced out of view. They soon realized they had just witnessed the first injury and the first casualty that took place that evening. It's been just over a month since the Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy occurred on April 26. Eleven people were killed, and dozens more were injured. The victims include a mother visiting her sons from the Philippines, a family that had come to Canada to escape violence in Colombia, another family that left behind a 16-year-old son who had stayed home that day, and a high school teacher. Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, has since been charged with eight counts of second-degree murder in connection with the crash. Witnesses and those who were injured at the event say they are still recovering — mentally and physically — from what they saw and experienced. "I think that fundamentally I am a different person than I was at the start of that day," Apeles said. "I have come to terms that this event is going to be part of who I am, whether that be for the better or the worse." Some witnesses and victims also say the past month has been a time to reflect: about their community, their families and the state of mental health care in B.C. Apeles, who works as a mental health support worker and harm reduction specialist, says the tragedy has underscored the need for more support for those suffering from mental illness. "If we want a healthy society where these tragedies don't happen, we need to acknowledge that we can't sweep these tragedies under the rug," they said. "The people who enabled this to happen have to apologize. They have to make commitments to do better." Christi-Ann Watkins, 43, performed and helped produce the show at the festival. Her 11-year-old son Knox had performed as well. They had just wrapped up at the main stage and decided to grab a bite to eat at one of the food vendors. She was feeling happy about how well everything had turned out. "The vibe was great," Watkins told BC Today host Michelle Eliot. "Although Lapu-Lapu was tragic, it was still a beautiful day for so many people." Watkins says she was standing near the vendors, holding her son's hand, when out of nowhere she was hit from behind. "I didn't see this car, didn't hear this car, nothing," she said. "And I remember mentally processing what was happening to me that just all of a sudden I just got hit and my brain understood it as, 'This was a car that hit you.'" Watkins fell to the ground. Her whole body was in pain, and it hurt to breathe. She says she just told herself to keep her eyes open and keep breathing. Someone quickly put pressure on her head because she was bleeding. An arm's length away, people were trying to resuscitate a girl with no pulse. She panicked and reached out, worried it was her son. Just then, a friend came up and told her not to worry. She had Knox, and he was safe. Watkins was put in an ambulance and sent to Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster. She says she maintained consciousness through it all. Her injuries included a laceration due to blunt force trauma to her head, fractured vertebrae in her neck, fractured ribs, pelvis and knee. She also had a punctured lung, laceration to her spleen and kidney, and road rash from her ankles all the way up to her head. "I'm very aware of the fact that I'm still here and things could be a lot worse," she said. Watkins was in hospital for 10 days. She expected to be there for months. While she was there, she accepted a steady stream of visitors, which she credits for her recovery. Hopped up on painkillers, she recounted what happened hundreds of times. "I don't find it daunting," she said. "I just need people to know what happened because I'm here to tell it." Back at home, Watkins still very much struggles with the pain from her injuries. She says it doesn't take much to leave her exhausted. Her husband is on leave from his job to care for her. Despite what happened to her, Watkins says she has chosen not to let anger overcome her. Instead, she is focusing on having a second chance with her family and the present. And also, the outpouring of love and support from her community. A month later, she says, fundraisers are still happening. The support is still there. But Watkins isn't leaving negative emotions out entirely. Like Apeles, she is critical of B.C.'s mental health system. "He needs help, too," she said of the suspect, Kai-Ji Adam Lo.
CBC
15-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
With glowing hearts, B.C. flag maker sees sales rise amid U.S. tariff threats
Social Sharing A flag manufacturer in British Columbia says it is seeing a spike in sales of Canadian flags amid threats of U.S. tariffs, including a rise in orders from south of the border. Julia Izadi of Flying Colours International said February is often a time when the company restocks flags and plans ahead for Canada Day on July 1. This year has been different as U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose widespread tariffs on Canadian products. Izadi told CBC's On the Coast that phones at their Port Coquitlam location have been "ringing off the hook" amid growing demand for Canadian flags. "Our Canada flag sales have quadrupled here in the last 11 days," she said Tuesday. WATCH | B.C. flag maker seeing rise in sales amid U.S. tariff threats B.C. flag maker seeing rise in sales amid U.S. tariff threats 2 days ago Duration 2:04 After weeks of tariff threats and more talk of Canada becoming the 51st state, politicians and pollsters are noting a surge in Canadian pride. As Liam Britten reports, some stores are seeing it too. The company is even seeing a rise in orders south of the border, she said, with orders coming from Canadian expats and U.S. citizens showing support for their northern neighbours. Izadi said a call from five former prime ministers to fly the red maple leaf this weekend in a huge display of national pride has "upped the ante" as the company deals with demand. Saturday is Flag Day, which is held annually to mark the first time the red-and-white maple leaf flag was raised on Parliament Hill on Feb. 15, 1965, replacing the Canadian Red Ensign. The former prime ministers – Joe Clark, Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper – jointly wrote an open letter, telling Canadians to "show the flag as never before" as the country contends with "threats and insults from Donald Trump." The former politicians added that they have "witnessed a surge of Canadian pride and patriotism" in the wake of Trump's threats and they are heartened to see so many people "come together to express their love for our country and their determination to defend Canada's values and our independence." A recent Angus Reid poll recorded an average increase in national pride across Canada of nine points, from 58 per cent in December to 67 per cent in February. A recent survey from Leger also found an uptick in respondents saying they were proud to be Canadian. Izadi said Flying Colours International makes about 50,000 Canadian flags per year at its Port Coquitlam facility as well as its head office in Toronto. She said the company is taking an "all hands on deck" approach amid the surge in business, and she feels its work is serving a higher purpose. "it's just really fulfilling to see Canadians want to fly that flag," she said. "The flag represents such a shared sense of unity and national identity. Beyond the sales, it's just a reminder of how symbols can really bring people together. And that is what is happening right now all over Canada."
CBC
29-01-2025
- Business
- CBC
Is congestion pricing the answer to North America's transit funding crunch?
Lawrence Frank, an urban studies professor at the University of California San Diego, says that Vancouver could take the lead on congestion pricing given its past leadership on sustainable development. Frank discussed solutions to ongoing funding challenges for transit systems across North America on CBC's On the Coast.
