City of Vancouver, police begin internal review of Lapu-Lapu Day festival attack
Posted April 30, 2025 10:29 am.
Last Updated May 1, 2025 3:12 pm.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is calling on the province to do less talking and take more action, as he says the city and wider community are still mourning the “unimaginable loss” of the 11 people who were killed during the Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy.
In an update Wednesday with the Vancouver Police Department Interim Chief of Police Steve Rai, Sim said the families of those killed and the lives of the dozens more injured have been changed forever.
“A vibrant, joyful community celebration turned into a nightmare that no one should ever have to witness,” he said.
“Our hearts remain with every single victim, every single loved one, and with Vancouver’s Filipino community as they navigate through this incredibly profound and painful time, and I want to say clearly and unequivocally, Vancouver stands shoulder to shoulder with you now and every step forward,” he added.
The mayor explained that since Saturday’s car-ramming attack, he has been in contact with the Philippine ambassador to Canada, and he has directed mayoral staff to work closely with the Philippine government to help identify those Filipino nationals who were injured or killed during the horrific attack.
“We’re also working very closely with the Filipino Consulate General to support Filipino nationals and the community alike with national victim support programs that are available through the federal government to provide help to families and survivors affected by this tragedy,” he added.
“Secondly, we are working very closely with community leaders and event organizers on a public memorial. The event will take place in approximately two weeks, and it will serve as a space to honor the lives lost and to come together in active healing,” he explained.
The assistance centre at Douglas Park Community Centre is now closed, the mayor confirmed, but a new location at East 41 Avenue and Fraser Street has been set up in its place. It is open daily from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. “to assist those affected by this tragic incident.”
Sim confirmed that the city, along with the VPD, has begun undertaking a “comprehensive” internal review into the circumstances that led up to the attack.
“Including permitting, site safety planning, and emergency response, as well as identifying additional steps forward for future events. Now, that review is being done in close collaboration with our public safety partners, [and a] preliminary report, as well as updates to future festivals, will be announced sometime in the next two weeks,” he explained.
“We want to ensure that Vancouverites and especially the Filipino community feel safe attending future events in our city,” he added.
Sim also took time during Wednesday’s update to respond to Premier David Eby’s announcement that he made the day prior, about launching an independent commission into the mass-casualty attack.
“We all want the same thing: to understand what happened and to make sure that this never happens again,” Sim said. “We would also like to see the provincial commission deal with the very real mental health crisis across B.C.”
Eby said Tuesday that B.C. would undertake a provincial inquiry if the criminal investigation does not get all the answers about how the tragedy happened and how to ensure B.C.’s mental health system keeps people safe. Eby explained he and the government would call one immediately, but they are aware that it may interfere with the current investigation.
Sim said the confirmation that the 30-year-old suspect, Kai-Ji Lo, was under the care of a Vancouver Coastal Health mental health care team is “incredibly difficult to hear, and even harder to accept.”
“Because it points to a deeper failure in the mental health system,” Sim said. “I’ve said this before, and I will say it again, the mental health crisis is not just a health crisis. It has become a public safety crisis.”
“Cities like Vancouver, we’re stepping up where we can. But make no mistake about this, we can’t do this alone, and that’s why I continue to call on senior levels of government to act to expand compassionate mandatory care to secure treatment beds beyond the 400 currently committed,” the mayor said.
“What we’re asking for … we’re asking for any inquiry to include a review of the mental health aspect of things, mental health supports, and address what we believe could be the root cause of this issue,” he said.
Sim added that adding the forced mandatory beds is “just a step” in creating a comprehensive mental health care continuum with different levels of support.
‘Owe it to victims’ to fix mental health care system gaps: Sim
Since 2023, Sim said the city has hired 38 of the 49 mental health care workers it says are needed in the city. He added that the city has doubled the Car 87/88 program, which sees nurses paired with police officers when responding to people in crisis.
“Outreach has increased significantly, including a 96 per cent increase in referrals to community services and a 46 per cent increase in referrals from housing and shelter partners. And we’re now operating Canada’s first Indigenous crisis response team, and in May, we’ll expand our mobile de-escalation team to seven days a week,” Sim said of the city’s initiatives.
But he implored the provincial and federal governments to do more.
“These results show what’s possible when we invest in mental health, but they also show what’s missing. Mental health is health care, and health care is a provincial responsibility. Vancouver is stepping up, but we can’t, and we should not be doing this alone,” he said.
“We need to urgently roll out mandatory care for people in severe crisis. They pose a risk to themselves and to others, and we need meaningful bail reform so repeat offenders aren’t cycled back into our communities without proper support or supervision.
“This tragedy makes the urgency even more clear. Vancouver is doing what we can, but we can’t face this alone. We owe it to the victims, to their families and to every single person across the city, this province and this country who simply wants to gather with loved ones and their community and feel safe while being there,” he said.
Public tired of never-ending reviews, inquiries, Sim said
Sim minced no words when addressing the perceived delay in addressing the mental health crisis.
“I don’t think it matters whether or not I support [the public inquiry] or not, the province is going to do what the province does,” he said.
“I’m going to speak from my heart on this one. I think we’re all really tired … Sure, let’s do these inquiries, but how many more inquiries do we need? How many more reviews do we need? We see a recurring pattern of people suffering from significant mental health challenges that lead to significant incidents,” he shared.
“Before we came into office, we talked about mental health workers. This is like two and a half years ago. We have gone through a bunch of incidents since we have come into office, or a mental health issue has led to a violent act. How many more times do we have to study this?
“So, sure. Come up with another commission, come up with another report. They’re important, but let’s come up with action now. I think we’re all tired. I’m probably going to get in trouble for this, but I’m just speaking from the heart, not as mayor, but as a resident of Vancouver, as a citizen, as a father, as a family member, as a neighbour, as a friend.
“I’ve seen in the news — Richard, Linh, Katie — three individuals, a family of four, left an orphaned son. How many more reports do we have to do to come up with a reason why their family is absolutely devastated?
“We need action. We already know what the answer is, or at least, we have a good idea of what the action or what the issue is. We should start addressing that.”
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