Inquiry Reviewing Vancouver’s Lapu-Lapu Attack Urges Risk Assessments for Public Events

Memorial for the victims of the April 26 Lapu-Lapu Filipino Festival car attack in Vancouver on April 28, 2025. NTD News

A commission reviewing the deadly SUV attack at a Filipino festival in Vancouver this spring is recommending the province implement a risk assessment system ahead of all public events.

The province established the Commission of Inquiry Into Community Events Safety after the April 26 attack at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival left 11 people dead and dozens injured.

The commission was tasked with looking at ways to strengthen security and safety at community events in British Columbia and provide recommendations to event organizers, local governments, and public safety officials by June 30.

The commission, under the leadership of former Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson, outlined six recommendations in a 67-page report that was released to the public on July 9.

“We have received the report and are working through the details, but we accept the intent of the recommendations and are working on how best to act on them, including with other levels of government and event organizers,” Community Safety Minister Terry Yung said in a July 9 statement.

The commission has recommended the province implement risk assessments when planning all public events, including the event’s scale, location, activities, and potential hazards, such as risks to specific groups as well as environmental factors, the report says.

“This assessment need not be complex, but it should be thoughtful, structured, and appropriate to the scale and nature of the event,” the report says, adding that the assessment could be prepared by event organizers, municipal staff, or collaboratively.

The assessments should evaluate existing safety measures, identify any gaps, and assign responsibilities for emergency planning, access, and crowd management, the report says. Other considerations include fire safety, medical response, weather, and overnight stays when necessary.

“Most importantly, the report includes new tools that event organizers throughout B.C. can begin using right away, including an event safety plan template and a risk assessment framework,” Yung said.

Other Recommendations

The commission also suggests the province clarify jurisdictional roles and responsibilities of all those involved in event planning and emergency response. The report stresses the importance of establishing decision-making authority and the coordination of event organizers, governments, and first responders.

The province should “establish a centralized hub to support event safety” across the province of B.C. to provide consistent and standardized training for all those involved in public event planning, the report says.

Other recommendations by the commission include expanding grants and financial support to offset event-related safety and security costs, encouraging collaboration between event organizers and emergency services, and encouraging the use of “after-action reports” as well as public feedback collection following events.

Yung thanked Hinkson and his team for their work, adding that the report was compiled with “extensive consultation” across communities, event planners, law enforcement, municipalities, and indigenous organizations.

“The report notes that the vast majority of public events in B.C. are safe, well organized and widely enjoyed,” Yung said. “While this report provides a strong foundation, there is more work to do. We must continue bringing people together, across sectors and governments, to share best practices, strengthen collaboration and build lasting systems of support.”

‘Low Risk’

A May 15 preliminary report by the City of Vancouver and police on the April 26 attack indicated that officials engaged in proper security measures before the event, which was considered “low risk.”

“The event was well organized, all the right steps were taken, including multiple reviews, site walks, and coordination with first responders. But that doesn’t mean that those steps were enough,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said during a May 16 news conference.

The report indicated that city staff held a walk-through of the site on the morning of the festival, identified vehicles that needed to be moved, and confirmed there were sawhorses blocking access to approved areas.

A final report from the city and Vancouver police is set to be released by Aug. 27.

The suspected driver of the SUV, Adam Kai-Ji Lo, faces eight counts of second-degree murder in connection with the attack.

Lo appears to have faced significant emotional strain in recent years. According to Vancouver police, his brother was murdered in an unrelated incident in January of last year, and his mother attempted suicide following the murder, according to a funding platform previously set up by Lo.

B.C. Conservative public safety critic Elenore Sturko said in an April 29 social media post that a family member of Lo’s contacted the hospital hours before the attack out of concern for Lo’s “deteriorating mental health.”

Carolina Avendano and Chandra Philip contributed to this report.