A judge has imposed a publication ban on a hearing to determine if the man accused of killing 11 people at the Vancouver Lapu Lapu Day festival is fit to stand trial.
Adam Kai-Ji Lo, who faces 11 counts of second-degree murder and is accused of driving an SUV through a crowded street, appeared in provincial court in Vancouver in a dark blue sweatshirt.
Lo, 30, waved briefly to someone in the courtroom and answered "no" when asked by the judge if he would like the proceedings to be in French.
The publication ban covers all evidence at the fitness hearing that is scheduled to last two days.
RJ Aquino, the chair of festival organizer Filipino BC, says the court proceedings could prove traumatizing for victims and members of the Filipino community.
He says many have expressed anger and frustration since the April 26 attack and still find it difficult to cope with the tragedy almost three months later.
Police say six victims of the attack remain in hospital in stable condition.
B.C.'s Health Ministry said in a statement after the attack that Lo was "being followed closely" under the Mental Health Act by a Vancouver Coastal Health care team at the time of the attack.
The statement said Lo gave "no indication of violence" and nothing appeared to warrant involuntary hospitalization before the attack.
A media consortium that includes The Canadian Press has challenged the publication ban that was sought by the Crown.
Under proposed wording, evidence arising at the hearing would not be publishable until the ban is lifted or after the end of the trial.
However, it says the existence and outcome of the fitness hearing may be reported.
Aquino says community members of the Filipino community will be watching the hearing closely.
Many want "speedy closure," he says, but justice takes time.
Aquino says Filipino BC will prepare for all possible outcomes, and support for victims' families and community members will continue.
"We want to make sure that we're providing the support that the community needs, we're able to continue to be present with each other as we inevitably revisit what had happened through these proceedings."
Dozens of people were injured in the attack in East Vancouver, in which the black SUV sped through a street crowded with festivalgoers.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Rich Lam
