Vancouver officials to present safety report following festival attack

Vancouver's mayor and chief constable are expected to present the final report from a review of public safety and planning for outdoor events prompted by the vehicle-ramming attack that killed 11 people at a Filipino street festival in April.

Mayor Ken Sim and Chief Const. Steve Rai are set to present the report stemming from the attack at the Lapu Lapu Day festival at a press conference this afternoon.

It follows the release of a preliminary report saying the festival's planning appeared to have followed prescribed processes for an event that officials considered low risk.

At the time, Rai told media there was nothing to indicate the day would be any different from the 2024 Lapu Lapu Day festival, a celebration of Filipino culture.

The preliminary report, released in May, says city staff had walked through the festival site that morning and identified some vehicles that needed to be moved, while confirming sawhorses would be in place to block access at certain spots.

Adam Kai-Ji Lo is accused of driving an SUV through a street crowded with festival patrons on April 26 and faces 11 counts of second-degree murder.

Lo's defence counsel and Crown lawyers concluded their legal arguments last month over the question of whether he is fit to stand trial.

A publication ban prevents evidence at the hearing from being reported.

A media consortium that includes The Canadian Press has challenged the ban, with rulings on both that application and the fitness hearing scheduled for Sept. 10.

Days after the attack, the province appointed former B.C. Supreme Court chief justice Christopher Hinkson to conduct a review of safety at public events.

Hinkson's report, released in July, recommended that all public events across the province, regardless of size, should be supported by a risk assessment.

It recommends inter-agency co-ordination and calls for the development of a provincial events hub for sharing information and advice.

B.C.'s minister of state for community safety, Terry Yung, told media at the time that the province would move as fast as it could to adopt the recommendations.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck