Following the tragic events that took place at the Lapu Lapu Day Block Party on April 26, 2025, the City of Vancouver and the VPD have initiated a joint review of planning processes and safety protocols for City permitted special events in outdoor public spaces.
The Preliminary Report was released on May 16, 2025 and covers the following:
- Section One outlines in detail how the City currently supports special events organizers, coordinating a multi-agency effort involving many City departments, police, fire and a range of external agencies and partners.
- Section Two examines how the prescribed special event planning process was applied to the 2025 Lapu Lapu Day Block Party. Based on the documents reviewed, the report suggests that the standard special event planning process was followed, all the requirements were met, and the planning process included all the relevant partners.
- Section Three outlines preliminary immediate and potential future changes that can be implemented to ensure special events remain safe in the future. For example, new mobile vehicle barriers will be used at select special events based on specific criteria to reduce the risk of vehicle-related incidents, whether accidental or intentional.
The Final Report is scheduled to be released no later than August 27, 2025, it will cover themes including:
- A deeper analysis of existing regulations, policies, and procedures for planning outdoor special events.
- Recommendations for regulatory or procedural changes to address intentional and unintentional vehicle incursions.
- Considerations for broader public realm design and management to enhance public safety
The Province of British Columbia has their own Commission of Inquiry report on public event safety, which is scheduled to be released by June 30, 2025, and its results will also be considered by the City and VPD.