Ottawa Filipino festival postponed in wake of Vancouver attack

Jodie Applewaithe · CBC News

· Posted: May 07, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

A Filipino nutrient and euphony festival that was slated to marque its Ottawa debut aboriginal this period is present connected hold.

Fun Philippines Ottawa Food and Music Street Festival was meant to motorboat May 17 along a one-kilometre agelong of Wellington Street successful beforehand of Parliament Hill, but organizers decided to postpone the lawsuit days aft a car-ramming onslaught astatine a Filipino thoroughfare festival successful Vancouver near eleven radical dormant and aggregate others injured.

• 11 radical killed, much than 20 wounded aft SUV rams into Vancouver thoroughfare festival
• Judge grants appraisal to spot if fishy successful Vancouver festival calamity is acceptable for trial

"It made america intermission a small spot to deliberation astir however we wanted to proceed," said Philip Mendoza, chair of the Philippine Legacy and Cultural Alliance, which has helped tally the Toronto variation of the festival since 2019.

This was to person been the inaugural lawsuit successful Ottawa.

When organizers initially raised the thought of postponing the festival, Mendoza said the effect from vendors and partners was mixed. Ultimately, the squad decided it was champion to clasp off. Their announcement came past Friday. 

Mendoza said the "difficult decision" was based connected 2 factors: Organizers wanted to marque definite their festival was safe, and they wanted to find a mode to honour the victims of the Vancouver attack.

"Our assemblage is inactive grieving," Mendoza said. "We wanted to marque definite we bash this right."

'Better to err connected the broadside of caution'

Some successful the section Filipino assemblage are disappointed that the festival has been postponed.

Radio big Dan de Castro said helium was looking guardant to attending the event, and said the determination "saddens" him. 

"This is the archetypal [time] ever that we're having this benignant of thoroughfare festival," de Castro said.

Despite his disappointment, de Castro said he understands wherefore organizers are being cautious. Since the Vancouver attack, he's been proceeding concerns astir nationalist information from Filipino-Canadians.

"While this [would] bring america unneurotic [to] bask our culture, our music, our food, determination is inactive apprehension," helium said.

Aimee Beboso chairs Migrante Ottawa, the section subdivision of a Canadawide confederation that provides enactment for Filipino newcomers.

Like de Castro, Beboso said she's disappointed the festival won't spell up arsenic planned, but said holding off is the close happening to do. 

"It's amended to err connected the broadside of caution … due to the fact that if thing happens, we can't spell back, right?" Beboso said. "We don't person a clip machine."

Beboso besides highlighted the request for sensitivity aft the incidental successful Vancouver.

"We're inactive reeling from however to process it," she said.

Strengthening safety

In the meantime, Mendoza said organizers volition enactment with the metropolis and Ottawa constabulary to fortify information truthful they tin yet clasp the lawsuit successful Ottawa. The goal is to find a equilibrium betwixt "feeling harmless but not feeling caged," helium said.

Organizers person been considering whether they should obstruction disconnected the event, instal factual barricades and summation constabulary presence.

Ryan Perrault, the city's wide manager of exigency and protective services, said successful a statement: "The City's Special Event Advisory Team remains acceptable to assistance the organizers should they take to determination guardant with the lawsuit successful the future."

Fun Philippines Ottawa hasn't acceptable a caller day for the festival yet. When it does happen, Mendoza said helium hopes it brings radical joy.

"Filipinos similar to celebrate, similar to party, and that's the vigor we privation to bring," helium said. "We privation to amusement however we observe our community, and that's 1 mode of honouring these folks arsenic well."