B.C. festivals re-examine security following Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy

CBC News

· Posted: May 11, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Several B.C. events are moving guardant with accrued information measures pursuing the caller calamity astatine a Filipino thoroughfare festival successful Vancouver.

In June, the Pinoy Festival successful Burnaby will beryllium marking its 3rd year celebrating Filipino civilization and community.

Organizers said the lawsuit volition person a antithetic dynamic this year. 

"It's a mode for america to heal," said Lester de Guzman, 1 of the festival's directors. "To assistance our assemblage members to retrieve from the calamity and besides emergence from the ashes."

Eleven radical were killed and dozens much were injured aft an SUV drove into a assemblage astatine the Lapu-Lapu Day artifact party on April 26. Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, has been charged with 8 counts of second-degree murder. 

De Guzman said the Pinoy Festival, which is held astatine the outdoor Swangard Stadium successful Burnaby, volition person accrued security, volunteers and first-aid responders. 

De Guzman said contempt the caller tragedy, determination has been overwhelming enactment for the radical to determination guardant with the event. 

"The Filipino assemblage is resilient and besides precise arrogant of their civilization and besides our beingness present successful Canada, and that's, I think, worthy celebrating," said de Guzman. 

The provincial authorities has appointed a erstwhile main justness to behaviour a reappraisal of lawsuit information measures and supply recommendations for aboriginal events pursuing the Lapu-Lapu Day tragedy. 

The City of Vancouver is besides conducting its ain interior reappraisal connected lawsuit safety, with a preliminary study owed adjacent week. 

'Renewed scrutiny' connected security

Festival organizers crossed Metro Vancouver and B.C. besides said the calamity volition not halt radical from gathering and celebrating this summer. 

During each of the 3 nights of the yearly Honda Celebration of Light, astir 400,000 people flood Vancouver's West End and Kitsilano neigbourhoods.

Paul Runnals, 1 of the event's enforcement producers, said organizers volition revisit their information program with "renewed scrutiny" this year.

"We don't instrumentality it lightly," said Runnals.

He said helium hopes to beryllium included successful the province's reappraisal connected lawsuit information to sermon and stock expertise.

In Kelowna, information astatine summertime festivals besides whitethorn look a spot different. 

Renata Mills, the enforcement manager of Festivals Kelowna, said the enactment is moving connected adjusting its information plans. 

"We decidedly started reasoning about, what if the worst happens?" 

Organizers are considering the usage of carnal barriers, specified arsenic cement barricades. 

"It's a large reminder for america arsenic lawsuit producers to deliberation astir the logistical pieces down worst-case scenarios," said Mills.