Debate over bringing back the Lapu-Lapu festival after the tragedy, preparations for a powerful storm, and the conclusion of a years-long court battle over the Kingsgate Mall — the main stories from Vancouver.
Returning the Lapu-Lapu festival in Vancouver: between healing and pain
Nearly a year after the tragedy that claimed 11 lives, the Vancouver community is divided over whether to revive the Lapu-Lapu cultural festival. Organizers plan to hold the event in April 2026 with an emphasis on healing, but many victims and members of the Filipino diaspora say the wound is still too fresh for a return to public celebrations.
A year ago, on April 26, 2025, a horrific tragedy occurred at Vancouver’s Lapu-Lapu festival when a vehicle plowed into a crowd on Fraser Street. Eleven people were killed and dozens were injured. Adam Kai-Ji Lo is charged with 11 counts of second-degree murder and 31 counts of attempted murder. Now that the non-profit Filipino B.C. has announced a festival for April 19, 2026, the community is split. Organizers, as reported by CBC, emphasize that the event will focus on reflection and collective healing and will take place at the Italian Cultural Centre rather than at the site of the tragedy. However, for people like Val De La Cruz, who was at the celebration with his wife and two young children, the very idea of bringing the festival back feels sacrilegious. He was injured, his two-year-old son still suffers from a concussion and panics around cars. “Every time he sees a car he grabs me and runs, thinking the car is coming after us,” De La Cruz says. He is still in physiotherapy and cannot work fully. His feelings are shared by more than 1,200 people who signed a petition calling for the event to be postponed. Petition author Roan Hidalgo says the community needs more time to grieve before returning to large public festivities.
Organizers acknowledge not everyone is ready. In its statement Filipino B.C. notes that grief and healing unfold differently for everyone, but also points to an “overwhelmingly positive response” from those who want to come together again. The plan is for a morning portion of the event to be devoted to remembrance and reflection, followed by a cultural program. But this approach collides with cultural traditions. Nurse Lylani Tumangeng, who volunteered at the 2025 festival, recalls the Filipino tradition of “babang luksa” — a year of mourning. She supports a more subdued memorial on April 12 organized by the Lapu-Lapu Society of British Columbia, believing a quiet gathering or mass is more appropriate for the anniversary than concerts and vendor stalls.
Alongside timing, there is a sharp question about transparency around financial aid. After the tragedy the Kapwa Strong Fund was created under United Way B.C., raising more than $1.6 million. According to a February 2026 report, most of those funds were distributed as grants to organizations providing mental-health support. United Way also directed roughly $450,000 to Filipino B.C. at donors’ request. However, some survivors and community groups, including the United Filipino Canadian Associations of B.C., say there is a lack of clarity about how that money was used. Association president Arci Lim believes funds that might go to a new festival would be better directed to victims. Val De La Cruz says his family did not receive the support they expected and states: “Until Filipino B.C. can explain what happened with the donations, I don’t think they should be organizing another Lapu-Lapu Day.”
This story goes beyond a dispute over scheduling a celebration. It reflects the complex processes of collective trauma, where the need to normalize life and preserve cultural identity clashes with deep, unhealed personal pain. The Lapu-Lapu festival is named after the Philippine national hero, a leader who fought Spanish colonizers, and is an important symbol of pride and unity for the diaspora. Its return or cancellation carries symbolic weight. On one hand it could be an act of resilience and healing; on the other it can be seen as disrespectful to the memory of the dead and the suffering of survivors. As the community searches for a way forward, one thing is clear: healing requires not only time but utmost sensitivity, transparency, and respect for those whose lives were shattered that fateful day.
Heavy rains and gale-force winds: British Columbia prepares for an "atmospheric river" hit
Residents of Metro Vancouver and the entire southern coast of British Columbia should keep their umbrellas close and exercise extreme caution on the roads in the coming days. A powerful "atmospheric river" bringing prolonged downpours and stormy winds is hitting the region. According to a warning published on CityNews Vancouver, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has issued a heavy-rain warning for the entire region — from the Sunshine Coast and Howe Sound through Metro Vancouver, including the North Shore, Coquitlam and Maple Ridge.
Meteorologists warn that the atmospheric river will reach the province’s south coast on Sunday and remain over the region until Wednesday morning, bringing prolonged periods of intense rainfall. Total precipitation of 100 to 150 millimetres is expected by Wednesday morning. To put that in context: 100 mm of rain is roughly Vancouver’s typical monthly rainfall for March. In addition to rain, the province’s central coast and parts of Vancouver Island can expect gusty winds up to 110 kilometres per hour, increasing Monday evening. On the north coast, from Kitimat to Terrace, the situation will be complicated by snowfall: up to 30 centimetres of snow, later changing to rain with an expected 70 millimetres of precipitation.
In its warning ECCC highlights risks to transportation and infrastructure. Water is likely to pool on roads and in low-lying areas, causing potential travel delays. There is also an increased risk of landslides, especially in vulnerable zones such as steep slopes, logged areas or recent wildfire sites. The agency urges drivers to be particularly cautious and to allow extra time for trips. For reference: an “atmospheric river” is a long, narrow corridor of very moist air transported from tropical latitudes. When it reaches the coast, the flow is lifted over mountains, cools and produces heavy, prolonged precipitation — a phenomenon that is typical for British Columbia but no less dangerous, particularly during the season.
The key takeaways from this forecast are clear: the region faces several days of extremely wet and windy weather with serious consequences. Beyond everyday inconveniences, this is a direct safety threat. The risk of flooded roads and landslides is real and requires readiness from authorities to respond quickly and caution from residents to follow official guidance. Such events also fit into a broader climate-change context, which many scientists say could make atmospheric rivers more intense and frequent. In the meantime, Vancouver residents are advised to follow weather updates on 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver and via social media to stay informed.
Court sides with developer: long lease dispute over Kingsgate Mall comes to an end
A years-long legal dispute between the Vancouver School Board and major developer Beedie Development over ground rent for the land under Kingsgate Mall has concluded. The British Columbia Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the tenant, confirming that the rate should be calculated based on the property’s current commercial use rather than its hypothetical value as residential redevelopment. The verdict ends a dispute that began in 2017 and produced mutual accusations of wasting public funds and mismanaging assets.
The fate of the ground rent for Kingsgate Mall on East Broadway in Vancouver was decided by the province’s Court of Appeal, which on March 10 issued a ruling in favor of Beedie Development LP. As reported by Castanet, the court confirmed that the calculation should be based on the site’s current use as a shopping centre, not its potential value if redeveloped for residential towers. This dispute, running since 2017, concerned the interpretation of lease terms for the period from November 2017 to November 2027. The Vancouver School Board (VSB), which owns the land, argued the rent should reflect the maximum market value of the site if it could be used for housing. However, the long-term lease that Beedie inherited from a previous company in 2005 expressly limits the land to retail use. Rent is reviewed every ten years either by agreement or arbitration according to a pre-set formula. This is now the third such decade period, and the company holds rights to renew the lease through 2071.
In a statement released on the day of the decision, Beedie, led by Ryan Beedie, expressed satisfaction with the outcome but also voiced “serious concern” about how the school board manages this public asset. “It is important that the public knows the extent of the mismanagement of this asset by the Vancouver School Board,” Beedie said. The company claims its efforts to discuss the matter with the board chair were ignored and that mediation offers before litigation were delayed or met with reluctance to engage. Beedie says it made proposals that would have been a “huge win” for the board and students but received no response. Instead, the developer alleges the board chose to “play with public money” in court. Beedie’s central argument was that the board’s demand was commercially untenable. Kingsgate Mall generates about $4 million a year in rent from subtenants, and the company called the board’s demand of $9.6 million a year an “absurd outcome.”
The school board, for its part, told Business in Vancouver that it acted collectively, in good faith, and in accordance with its fiduciary duties to responsibly manage assets. “Although the court did not rule in the board’s favour, the effort to obtain legal clarity on the interpretation of the long-term land lease was a management decision made in the public interest,” the statement said. The board emphasized it acted on legal advice, negotiated in good faith and carefully considered all of the tenant’s proposals. The board is now reviewing the court decision with its lawyers. It is worth noting that fiduciary duties in this context are the school board’s legal obligation, as trustee of a public asset (the land), to act with utmost good faith and solely in the interests of the beneficiaries, namely students and taxpayers.
The Court of Appeal’s decision was not unanimous, and it appears the question of legal costs was not addressed. The ruling came after the board appealed earlier arbitration decisions. Despite the victory, Ryan Beedie expressed regret: “You might think I’m thrilled with the result, and of course I am. However, it is deeply regrettable that years of costly litigation with the Vancouver School Board were necessary to confirm what was obvious and right.” The case highlights the classic conflict between a public body’s desire to maximize asset revenue and the legal constraints embedded in long-term contracts. The court’s outcome matters not only to the parties but as a precedent in commercial land leasing in British Columbia, underscoring the primacy of existing contract terms over speculative estimates of future use.
