B.C. Premier David Eby speaks during the memorial mass at St. Andrew's Parish in Vancouver on Friday.ETHAN CAIRNS/The Canadian Press
Survivors and relatives of the victims of the Lapu Lapu Day car-ramming attack in Vancouver almost a year ago have attended a memorial mass alongside politicians and members of the public.
Premier David Eby, federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim joined about 60 others at St. Andrew Parish church on Friday to honour victims of the tragedy last April 26 in which 11 were killed and dozens were hurt.
Mable Elmore, MLA for Vancouver-Kensington, says the anniversary of the attack on the Filipino cultural festival is being “widely recognized” across the B.C. Filipino and Catholic communities.
She says the mass allows victims and families to come together to remember loved ones while showing support for one another.
Elmore, who is of Filipino descent, says she’s still extremely emotional when recalling the night of the attack, and was “just steps away” when the suspect was apprehended.
She says healing and recovering will be an ongoing effort for those involved in the “heartbreaking loss,” and it’s important to do everything possible to help them and the community recover.
Adam Kai-Ji Lo has been charged with 11 counts of second-degree murder and 31 counts of attempted murder.
Rev. Salvador Reyes says he visited the memorial to victims at Mountainview Cemetery on Friday before the mass and he passed the East Vancouver street where the tragedy took place. He says he was struck by memories of the attack.
“But I continued my walk, step by step toward the site, slowly, quietly, offering a prayer for each step,” Reyes says.
“When I finally reached the memorial, I saw the flowers and so many candles. I saw handwritten notes, messages, and many of them written with the tears behind the words.”
Reyes says he was struck by the messages from people of different nationalities and cultures.
“I felt something that is different to explain. Yes, there [was] pain, there was sadness, there was heaviness, but at the same time, there was also something else. You could see there was love.”