May 16th, 2025 | Alex Harris | Seaside FM News
The City of Vancouver has released a preliminary report on the Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy last month. The report says authorities are considering safety enhancements for outdoor events in light of the attack.
11 people died and many were injured when a vehicle plowed through the crowded Filipino street festival on April 26th.
A Vancouver man was arrested at the scene of the street festival and has been charged with multiple counts of murder. He made his first court appearance earlier this month and was sent for a psychiatric assessment.
The tragedy also prompted B.C. Premier David Eby to announce that the province would launch an independent commission investigating event safety. Christopher Hinkson, a former chief justice of the B.C. Supreme Court, has been appointed to conduct that review and Eby said the former judge is expected to report back by the end of June.
The city says planning for the festival followed prescribed processes. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says all the right steps have been taken.
Heavy barriers were not in place at the festival and police have previously said only 9 out of 3,200 events in the city involved such protection.
The city says officials will be looking at how they are used before making proposals to buy more. But the city says it is unlikely they would have been used at the Lapu-Lapu festival on April 26th.
The final report from the city is expected in August, and the initial preliminary report says 16 new 320-kilogram mobile barriers to prevent vehicles from entering public events arrived in the city on Thursday, after being ordered in February.
