Toronto's Filipino community in shock after 11 killed at Vancouver cultural festival

Ethan Lang · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 28, 2025 5:03 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Charmaine Ramirez and David Candelaria accidental they were walking down Fraser Street successful Vancouver Saturday evening, having conscionable taken down their array astatine the Lapu-Lapu Day festival, erstwhile they got a call.

It was a friend, who was besides successful municipality from Toronto for the festival. He was calling from a artifact distant connected 43rd Avenue, asking them if they were OK and telling them what he'd conscionable seen.

The operator of a achromatic SUV had conscionable driven into a assemblage connected the thoroughfare helium was calling from. Though it was unclear successful the moment, the incident killed 11 people, ranging successful property from 5 to 65. Dozens of others were injured.

"We were successful shock," Ramirez told CBC Toronto Monday, 1 time aft they'd returned from Vancouver. 

"We're heartbroken coming backmost location aft what was expected to beryllium specified a large celebration," she said. "We conscionable couldn't judge that aft specified a large day, that thing similar that could happen."

WATCH | 11 dormant aft SUV plows into Vancouver crowd: 

The brace are among the thousands successful Toronto's Filipino assemblage mourning the calamity astatine the Vancouver thoroughfare festival celebrating Filipino civilization successful the city.

They accidental they'd conscionable near the festival minutes before, arsenic the thinning assemblage enjoyed the past of the euphony and sunshine.

"We were determination passim the full day, and it could person been anyone," Candelaria said. "So we conscionable felt fortunate that we were safe, but also, highly bittersweet that it was happening, and it was truthful galore radical that were affected."

Filipinos successful Toronto respond to Vancouver tragedy

In Toronto, location to Canada's largest Filipino community, the region didn't lessen the interaction of the alleged attack.

Lynnel Demaala says she woke up Sunday greeting to a connection from household successful Australia asking what had happened, earlier attending a sombre religion work wherever the pastor led a supplication for the victims.

"It's truly tragic, it's truly sad," she said. "I'm inactive confused and successful disbelief astir it."

WATCH | Vancouver constabulary accidental incidental not being investigated arsenic hatred crime: 

Omer Tolentino says he's disquieted astir the information of the Filipino assemblage astir Canada.

"Is that a hatred crime? That's the archetypal happening [that] came to my mind," helium said.

Police accidental Kai-Ji Adam Lo, who was arrested for the alleged onslaught and present faces execution charges, has a past of interactions with instrumentality enforcement and intelligence wellness workers, and they are not investigating the incident as a hatred crime.

Toronto festival organizer says information is apical absorption now

Still, the organizer of Toronto's Filipino festival, Taste of Manila, told CBC Radio's Metro Morning that the quality has enactment his unit connected precocious alert for this year's event.

Executive manager Danilo Baluyot said Monday that information has been a precocious precedence successful caller years for the outdoor festival that draws hundreds of thousands of radical each August. But this play has made it an adjacent higher priority.

"As soon arsenic I heard astir what happened [what] instantly crossed my caput is, 'how tin we effort our champion to debar this benignant of happening happening to us?'" helium said.

Baluyot said helium volition soon person meetings with organizers, metropolis officials and constabulary astir however to support this year's festival safe.

"I americium assured that we tin find a mode to support our festivalgoers," helium said.

But Marky Hugh, who owns a accumulation institution with a children's creation troupe that regularly participates successful Taste of Manila, says he's present disquieted astir this year's event. He says he's considering pulling retired this August, oregon perchance having parents motion waivers if their kids perform.

"I'm a small frightened close now," helium said Sunday, saying helium feels the value of work for the children helium teaches.

Vigil scheduled Tuesday astatine metropolis hall

Dozens attended a vigil successful North York Sunday, wherever Myka Jaymalin said the city's Filipino assemblage was hurting, but resilient. 

"I'm inactive shaking implicit the information that what happened successful Vancouver could person been our relatives, could person been my friends," she said. "It's our full assemblage who were affected and traumatized by this event."

Community leaders program to clasp different vigil Tuesday evening astatine Toronto City Hall, starting astatine 7 p.m.