Posted by ReyFort Media
Vancouver police and city officials are calling for stronger vehicle barriers, clearer safety planning and more provincial support for festival organizers in the wake of April’s Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy, where an alleged vehicle-ramming attack left 11 people dead and dozens more injured.
The recommendations are part of a final report presented Thursday by Mayor Ken Sim and Chief Const. Steve Rai, following a months-long review into how outdoor events are planned and secured.
“April 26th was a dark and devastating day in the history of Vancouver and what started off as an incredibly beautiful celebration of Filipino culture and community was turned into an unimaginable tragedy,” said Sim while presenting the findings during a news conference Thursday.
He says a review of public safety at outdoor events found the Lapu-Lapu Day street festival was appropriately assessed as low risk, with no indication to suggest it would turn deadly.
“All the right steps were taken, including multiple reviews, site-walks and coordination with first responders,” said Sim.
Rai acknowledged the findings won’t ease the pain felt by those still grieving.
“We must continue working together to ensure everyone is safe and secure at special events,” he said.
The report concludes that planning for the Filipino cultural festival followed existing protocols, including the development of a safety plan, and the risk assessment was appropriate, based in part on the success of the inaugural event in 2024.
The final report builds on an earlier preliminary review released in May and outlines several measures, including updating the city’s special event policy to make public safety a central goal, standardizing planning and access controls and creating clearer guidelines for when and how to deploy hostile-vehicle barriers.
It also calls for better training and resources for organizers, including shared equipment and a new Vancouver-specific framework to retrofit public spaces with permanent vehicle-resistant features.
Sim emphasized that Vancouver cannot make these changes alone. The report urges the province and federal government to provide funding for planning and preparedness while bringing in standardized event safety legislation and a provincial incident response guide.
It says this would improve co-ordination between event planners, first responders and other agencies during emergencies and major incidents.
More than 2,200 events take place in Vancouver each year, along with 1,000 protests and Sim says the recommendations provide a road map to strengthen planning and preparation for public gatherings, ensuring they remain safe.
Also, Mayor Sim said security measures like barriers and new policies are important but they will not be fully effective unless the province addresses mental health supports directly.
“That is not a City of Vancouver responsibility … so our hands are tied on this one,” he said. “We are asking, we are begging for action from the province on this one.”
Premier David Eby said on Thursday he welcomes the perspective of the police and the city, and hopefully the new report will help the province as it deliberates on how to prevent another such attack.
“It’s an issue being grappled with around the world, and we’re going to make sure that British Columbia is leading the way in terms of prevention and response,” Eby told an unrelated news conference in Surrey.
Kai-Ji Adam Lo is accused of driving an SUV through a street crowded with the Lapu-Lapu Day festival patrons on April 26 and faces 11 counts of second-degree murder.
Lo’s defence counsel and Crown lawyers concluded their legal arguments last month over the question of whether he is fit to stand trial.
A publication ban prevents evidence at the hearing from being reported.
ReyFort Media 
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