VICTORIA — A legislator of Filipino descent who was at the scene of last year’s deadly ramming attack at the Lapu Lapu Day festival is calling for this year’s event to be cancelled, saying it will trigger some in the still-traumatized community.
Mable Elmore says she signed a petition calling for a pause on the festival, scheduled for April 19, after listening to survivors of the attack and families of victims.
Eleven people died and dozens were injured when an SUV ploughed through crowds at last year’s event.
The petition calls on organizer Filipino BC to rethink this year’s festival, saying postponement would be a sign of respect, and that survivors are still healing from physical and emotional wounds.
Filipino BC says this year’s festival, dubbed the Lapu Lapu Day of Togetherness, will focus on reflection and remembrance in the morning, then shift toward arts and culture in the afternoon.
But Elmore, the MLA for Vancouver-Kensington, says survivors and families have made it clear they do not want the event amid their current grief, and she is encouraging people to instead attend a community gathering and dinner on April 12.
The Lapu Lapu Day of Togetherness will take place indoors at the Italian Cultural Centre in East Vancouver, instead of the outdoors site of last year’s attack, near John Oliver Secondary School about six kilometres away.
Organizers say in a statement that the impact of the attack “continues to be deeply felt, and that healing looks different for everyone.”
Adam Kai-Ji Lo is charged with 11 counts of second-degree murder and 31 counts of attempted murder.
Elmore, who became B.C’s first MLA of Filipino heritage in 2009, was on the scene when Lo was apprehended by bystanders.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2026.
Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press
