VANCOUVER — Vancouver’s mayor says everything was done properly to assess the risk at the festival where 11 people were killed in a vehicle attack last month, but it doesn’t mean the steps were enough and they are now rethinking how risk is assessed.
A preliminary report by the City of Vancouver and police into the April 26 Lapu Lapu Day Festival tragedy says planning for the event appears to have followed prescribed processes.
Sim said one of the most urgent challenges is addressing the growing threat of vehicles being used to cause harm.
Heavy barriers were not in place at the festival on April 26, when an SUV sped through a crowded street, and police have previously said only nine out of 3,200 events in the city involved such protection.
The mayor said there had to be balance where people can feel safe and free to celebrate.
“I don’t think we want to live in a police state per se,” he said on Friday after the report's release.
He said the report shows proper safety processes were followed.
"The event was well organized. All the right steps were taken, including multiple reviews, site walks and co-ordination with first responders," he said.
"But that doesn't mean that those steps were enough, and that's what this moment demands, a rethinking of how we assess risk, how we respond to emerging threats, and how we ensure people, no matter where they are in this city, feel safe gathering in public spaces."
The report says police did not recommend a dedicated deployment at the event, and the 2024 festival had previously been deemed low risk.
The report does not state the risk profile of last month's festival, although it says the application rated the event's complexity as high, with 100,000 people expected to attend, compared to the medium complexity of the smaller event last year.
Sixteen new 320-kilogram mobile barriers to prevent vehicles entering public events arrived in the city this week, after being ordered in February.
The city said officials will be looking at how they are used before making proposals to buy more.
But it said it is unlikely they would have been used at the Lapu Lapu festival.
The report says police, city and other officials met last week to discuss additional safety measures at upcoming events, agreeing on a "key initial criteria" of event location in relation to road type.
Interim Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai said Friday that, regardless of the cost, if any organizer of a community event in the city asks for police support, they will get it.
"We will support the community and should to help us get through this phase," he said.
The report said there was an acknowledgment at last week's meeting that the attack and other similar incidents elsewhere "have likely raised public concern" and that "there may be an emphasis on the public concern of a future incident occurring versus the objective probability of it occurring."
A final report is to be completed by August 27.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025
Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press
