News from Vancouver: record local support for getting an MLB team, the start of spot prawn season sparking culinary frenzy, and the painful anniversary of the Lapu-Lapu festival tragedy that has split the Filipino community.
Vancouver breaks records: 72% of British Columbians back getting their own MLB team
Public support for bringing a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise to Vancouver has reached record levels and continues to grow, crossing political and geographic lines. According to a new poll by Research Co., enthusiasm in the province has risen significantly over two years, and now three quarters of residents view the move positively. That surge of interest is backed not just by abstract goodwill but by people’s willingness to spend money on tickets and merchandise, creating a strong economic argument for potential investors and the league itself.
The poll, reported by Business in Vancouver, found that 72% of British Columbians consider having an MLB team in Vancouver a “very good” or “good” idea — an impressive 12 percentage-point increase from 2023. Support is broad-based across major political parties: Conservative voters (76%), NDP (75%) and Greens (68%) all show strong backing. Geographically, enthusiasm is widespread across the province, from the Fraser Valley (83%) to Vancouver Island (64%). Notably, the idea resonates strongly in ethnocultural communities, with support reaching 82% among people of South Asian descent. That’s significant given that part of the Vancouver Grizzlies’ failure was attributed to not winning over all ethnic groups.
The poll captures not only attitudes but concrete behavioral intent, which is even more convincing. Nearly a third of respondents (29%, up 10 points) said they would be somewhat likely to buy season tickets for a new team. More than half (54%) would attend at least one home game in a season, and half (50%) would consider buying team apparel or souvenirs. For a professional league looking to expand from 30 to 32 teams, those numbers are a powerful signal of market viability. MLB guarantees 81 home games in a regular season from April to September, providing a steady stream of events and potential revenue well beyond what local teams in other leagues — for example, the Vancouver Whitecaps soccer club — can offer.
Experts link baseball’s rising popularity in the region to several factors. First, the success of Canada’s only MLB team, the Toronto Blue Jays, which has captured national attention. Almost half of British Columbians (49%) now name the Blue Jays as their favourite team. Second, modernization of the game, such as introduction of the pitch clock — a rule limiting time between pitches that speeds up play and makes games more dynamic for new viewers. Finally, there’s a historical connection through the minor-league system: many Blue Jays players began their careers with the Vancouver Canadians, the local Northwest League team.
Skeptics may recall doubts around the Vancouver Canucks joining the NHL in 1970 or the unhappy experience with the Grizzlies. But the poll shows that 67% of fans who already have an MLB favourite would be willing to switch allegiance to a Vancouver club once it starts playing. That echoes the 1990s, when new teams in Florida, Colorado and Arizona not only survived but later reached the World Series. A growing, financially ready fan base, a lack of major internal political opposition, and MLB’s strategic interest in expansion together create a unique opportunity for Vancouver. The remaining question is whether the city’s infrastructure and potential franchise owners can turn this public demand into reality.
Vancouver obsession: why everyone loses their heads over spot prawns in May
Every May in Vancouver and the surrounding area a genuine culinary fever takes hold. Tourists and locals alike, setting aside usual attractions, flock to the docks in pursuit of freshly caught spot prawns. This short season becomes a gastronomic celebration: excitement runs high and the sweet, delicate flavour of the local crustaceans is on everyone’s lips.
Early on a May morning at Steveston’s waterfront, past ice-cream and souvenir stalls, a stream of people moves with a single purpose — to snag spot prawns just brought in from the sea. As OregonLive reports, the craze lasts only a few weeks, typically from mid-May to mid-June, and during that time prawns fill restaurant menus and locals carry them home in whole bags. The phenomenon has become not only culinary but symbolic of sustainable practice: after the pandemic, local fishers began selling most of their catch locally rather than exporting it. “We used to send 90% of our catch to Asia,” says Laura Takasaki, co-owner of Prawns on the Spot. “But when COVID hit and the world shut down, there was a glut in Japan. We started selling right off the dock in 2020, and it took off.” Her husband Troy sets traps daily during the season, and that night-chilled catch is sold straight from the family boat. Spot prawns are considered one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world because they’re caught in small traps, avoiding the bycatch associated with nets.
There’s a special atmosphere at the dock. The prawns, “bulging-eyed and trembling,” peek out from trays while Takasaki’s daughter Taya chats with customers. “They’re like dogs when they want their bellies scratched,” she says, handing a prawn to a little boy. For many, like Sheila Chu of Vancouver, buying a few pounds of prawns has become an annual family tradition. “We try to eat as local as possible,” she explains. “The season is short, so there’s urgency. And they’re so fresh — they’re still jumping!”
You can buy fresh prawns not only in Steveston but also at Granville Island Public Market, for example. Restaurants offer many dishes during the season — from simple snacks to refined creations. At Steveston Seafood House they serve a half-pound of steamed prawns to be peeled and eaten by hand; CHJ Bistro serves spicy three-pepper prawns or prawns with herbs and pepper; and Riley’s Fish & Steak in Vancouver offers gnocchi with spot prawns. For Riley’s executive chef John Choi, the best way to assess the flavour is to eat them plain. “I like to go down to the dock and eat them raw,” he admits. “I twist off the head, suck out the brains and finish them right there.” It’s another example of how people literally “lose their heads” during spot prawn season.
The 2025 season ran from May 14 to June 10, ending about two weeks earlier than usual. This year it’s expected to open in early or mid-May. Planned 2026 events include the Steveston Spot Prawn and Seafood Festival from May 14 to June 14 and the Spot Prawn Festival on May 31 in Vancouver. This short but vibrant season not only delights food lovers but supports local producers, emphasizing conscious consumption and a direct connection between fishers and consumers.
One year after the Vancouver tragedy: Lapu-Lapu festival protests split the Filipino community
The anniversary of one of Vancouver’s deadliest tragedies was marked not only by mourning but by deep division within the Filipino community. On Sunday, April 19, 2026, protesters gathered outside the Italian Cultural Centre, where the “Lapu-Lapu Day of Unity” event was being held. They came to express anger and disappointment, saying it was too soon — and cynical — to hold an event framed as remembrance and healing just a year after a vehicle attack that killed 11 people and injured dozens. As Castanet.net reports, instead of a day of reflection and remembrance, the gathering exposed painful contradictions between organizers and victims.
Among the protesters were survivors and family members of the deceased. They leaned on barricades, chanted and held signs reading “too soon” and “we are the victims.” Alejandro Samper, who lost his mother, father and sister in the attack, attended in black with a family photo in hand. He said he experiences “pain and suffering” daily and called on the organizer — Filipino BC — to show transparency, accountability and respect for victims. “Practice what you preach. If you say you will help victims, actually help them,” he said. The parents of 27-year-old Jendhel May Sico, who died in the attack, Jenny De Guzman and Rodel Sico, were also among the protesters. They say the event serves the interests of the organizing group rather than the community, and that families were not even consulted about holding it. De Guzman said she sought financial help from Filipino BC but received only an $800 gift card, after which the group stopped responding to her messages.
A central point of contention was distribution of funds raised to help those affected. Filipino BC and United Way BC launched the Kapwa Strong Fund last year. According to United Way, about $1.5 million was raised to provide counselling, mental-health support and meet basic needs of victims and their families. Grants from the fund were given to about three dozen organizations. But protesters, including former festival volunteers, claim that direct victims and their families did not receive adequate assistance. Lailani Tumaneng, who also volunteered at last year’s event, said she didn’t know of any family who had received help and argued that funds should first go to victims who were “in the ICU, caring for their loved ones.” Alejandro Samper said he received about $3,000 from Filipino BC a few months after the attack and was grateful, but later learned the group had received $451,570 through United Way intended for direct distribution. He cited a family unable to pay for a wheelchair ramp for a paralyzed relative and questioned why such urgent needs went unmet.
Filipino BC spokesperson RJ Aquino, in an interview with Castanet, rebutted the accusations. He said United Way ensures “the broader community has access to different ways of healing” and that funds are distributed “so that help goes where it’s needed.” Aquino emphasized that the current event was not a festival but an opportunity for reflection and remembrance, and that his group tried to engage as many people in the community as possible. He also expressed sympathy for the victims’ grief and invited dissatisfied parties to engage in “good-faith” dialogue. Aquino shifted some responsibility to government bodies, saying local, provincial and federal governments, along with the insurance corporation ICBC, must provide long-term support to victims of such mass incidents, and expecting that from a small community group is unrealistic.
The dispute highlighted a broader issue: the lack of clear mechanisms in Canada for supporting victims of mass tragedies and the difficulty of allocating charitable funds between direct family assistance and community-wide healing programs. While victims demand direct financial help for concrete needs, organizers focus on broader healing programs through cultural associations and hotlines. Accusations of opacity only deepen mistrust. Meanwhile, the criminal trial of the accused, Adam Kai-Gee Lo, charged with 11 counts of second-degree murder and 31 counts of attempted murder, has not yet begun. Vancouver police have previously said the festival was assessed as a low-risk event. Lapu-Lapu Day itself, observed on April 27, commemorates the Philippine national hero who defeated Ferdinand Magellan’s forces in 1521. That date will now forever be associated both with the 2025 tragedy and with a deep wound in a community still searching for genuine unity and healing.
