Victims' families weren't consulted before city vote on Lapu-Lapu Day memorial event, group says
Councillor said decision had to be made quickly to ensure event can occur in June, for Filipino Heritage Month
A planned memorial event for the victims of the Lapu-Lapu Day festival tragedy is up in the air after the City of Vancouver decided to move forward with it, before consulting families of the victims, organizers of the festival say.
On Tuesday, Vancouver city council voted unanimously in favour of a motion to hold a memorial event this month for victims of the April 26 tragedy that left 11 people dead and many others injured.
And while the group that organized the festival, Filipino B.C., says they understand the city's intentions, they're concerned the families of victims were not consulted on the event prior to the decision.
The motion, which was not originally part of council's agenda for Tuesday afternoon, was put forward by Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung on behalf of the mayor's office, citing Filipino Heritage Month for the urgency.
"It is fitting to host this event in the month of June, which is the intention, hence the time sensitivity around the request to council today," she said during the meeting. A presentation slide from the meeting shows the planned event being called 'Come Together: Vancouver Strong.'
Kirby-Yung also cited the need to finalize costs, including setting aside $50,000 for potential overruns and charging a "nominal ticket fee," with remaining funds to be donated to the Filipino community. Contracts, she said, would be with Canucks Sports & Entertainment, which she said "generously offered" Rogers Arena and staff for free, and TicketMaster, which she said would be waiving fees.
Several councillors expressed reluctance, saying while they were not opposed to holding a memorial, they wanted to first consult with members of the communities who were impacted by the tragedy. They suggested deferring the decision to the following day.
Kirby-Yung concluded by saying the city had engaged with community organizations about a memorial event, including with MLA Mable Elmore, who became B.C's first MLA of Filipino heritage in 2009 and has been an outspoken advocate for the community.
"I have every confidence, as was referenced in the different community groups that were involved in the conversations, that this [event] is with the community, for the community and by the community, and the city is simply trying to support that," Kirby-Yung said.
Later that evening, after the motion passed, Filipino B.C. said in a statement that they were "not notified about the urgent motion that Vancouver City Hall voted on."
They said the city had recently informed them it would be hosting "a large-scale event in June," and that while Filipino B.C. has been supporting families of victims with financial aid and other services, they have not consulted them about a memorial event specifically.
"We are in regular contact with the City of Vancouver, but Filipino B.C. does not sit on the community steering for the memorial event," the statement reads.
The organization is urging the city to centre the families of victims in its planning of the memorial.
"There is space and need for both intimate, community-led events and a broader, large-scale tribute to encourage wider collective healing. However, the timing, tone and format of such an event should be aligned with victims and the communities impacted."
'Ticking all the boxes'
On Wednesday morning, Coun. Pete Fry told CBC News that several councillors wanted more time to vote on the motion to ensure they're being sensitive to the community's needs.
"We hadn't had eyes on it, and we weren't sure that it was fully reflecting the community's wishes, so we wanted 24 hours to check in with folks," he said.
Speaking to CBC News the same morning, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said the last-minute motion was "administrative in nature."
He said with "a lot of moving parts," including the availability of Rogers Arena, he wanted to ensure the event wouldn't be cancelled as a result of an administrative item.
"If we didn't pass that administrative motion, we did run the risk of losing the venue and maybe not being able to proceed with something in the future," he said.
"So the motion doesn't do anything to like set in stone what the event is, per se, it's more, let's make sure we're ticking all the boxes so we can even host the event."
Sim said council has had "a lot of meetings" about the event and "a lot of consultation" with community members to ensure it would be done respectfully, including with Filipino B.C. and Elmore.
He also specified that the event would be a benefit concert to raise funds for victims and their families, featuring local artists and businesses.
Filipino B.C. chair RJ Aquino said in a statement Wednesday that the concern is not centred around communication with the organization, but rather about focusing on victims and families.
"We were not consulted on the content and specifics of the motion, which was for a memorial event and not a benefit concert," Aquino said.
"We heard from the community, including victims and families, that while they are in support of a benefit concert, the motion for a memorial event felt inappropriate and ill-advised. They also told us that an event in June feels too soon."
In a statement, Elmore called for unity and described the city's planned benefit concert as "a welcome step towards healing" that will "help the community and the city to emerge stronger and more united."
She later told CBC News that Vancouver police victim's services had raised very early on that it was too soon to hold a memorial event, and that representatives and officials had brought up the idea of a benefit concert instead — which she said wasn't appropriately reflected in Kirby-Yung's urgent motion.
"I know city council have acknowledged that and they're making that change," she said in an interview.
"I think that has contributed as well to the miscommunication."
Elmore also said that the memorial concert would not be in June, and the timeline was too tight for organizers. She estimates the concert would happen within four to six weeks.
"There's a lot to pull together. That's why the urgent motion to city council was important," she said.
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With files from Michelle Gomez and Jon Hernandez