In a move that has caused community-wide upset, the City of Vancouver plans to hold a Lapu Lapu Day memorial event titled, “Come Together: Vancouver Strong”.
The organization Filipino BC has since released a community update stating that they were not involved in this decision.
AN URGENT MOTION
Brought forward by Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung, who was working on behalf of absent Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, a motion was approved for the city to sign a contract with the Canucks Entertainment Corp. to host “Come Together: Vancouver Strong” at Rogers Arena for no charge. The motion will also allow the city to “use $50,000 toward production costs to allow for nominal ticket prices and cover other fees,” says Filipino BC in their community update.
The event is intended to take place sometime in June, although no official date has been confirmed. Ticketmaster also plans to waive fees to keep ticket prices low.
VICTIMS’ VOICES
Although Filipino BC says that they were informed of the city’s intention to host a large-scale event in June, affected families were not consulted.
“We were not notified about the urgent motion that Vancouver City Hall voted on this afternoon. While we understand the City’s desire to create space for collective mourning and healing, it is critical that this process centres the voices of the families and affected communities,” says Filipino BC.
The organization urges the city to refocus their efforts into “emergency recovery funding.” While Filipino BC has been focusing on directly supporting victims with financial aid, temporary accommodation and other related services, they say that they have “not engaged with them about an event.”
Overall, Filipino BC feels that “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.”
If you would like to support the victims of the Lapu Lapu Day tragedy, consider donating to them directly through these verified GoFundMes.
