Winnipeg Filipino community overwhelmed by Vancouver festival tragedy

As Filipinos prepare to hold a vigil in Winnipeg to support victims and families of a deadly Vancouver attack, one Winnipegger is keeping close tabs on two family friends who were injured.

Radisson NDP MLA Jelynn Dela Cruz was in the midst of helping organize Tuesday night’s vigil when she learned an adult and a two-year-old child were injured while attending Saturday’s street festival, where police said a man in an SUV raced down a street and hit multiple festivalgoers. The two are among several in hospital.

Dela Cruz, who didn’t want to go into detail because of privacy concerns, said the family had moved to Vancouver from Winnipeg a short time ago.

“A two year old — it’s just hard to imagine,” she said Monday.

“They are family friends. We’ve gone on trips together. They come from the same province as my dad’s side of the family. This is really heart wrenching.”

Dela Cruz said because of that, the community vigil will take on extra meaning for her.

“We couldn’t imagine something like this happening when our elders made the decision to come here for a better life,” she said.

“I hope the vigil will be a useful space for folks to assure them they are not alone with the emotions they have.”

Eleven people were killed and dozens injured after the driver drove through the crowded Lapu Lapu Day block party in Vancouver. Police said the suspect, a 30-year-old man, has a history of mental-health interactions with them.

Virgie Gayot, president of the Philippine Canadian Centre of Manitoba, said the vigil, to honour of the victims of the tragedy, will be held at their hall at 737 Keewatin St.

“It’s a gathering together of the community,” Gayot said Monday. “Everyone is welcome.

“It’s just to get together, to pray for the families and victims, and, maybe also, have some awareness of mental health. Getting together will be a comfort to each other.”

Doors open at 6 p.m. and the program starts at 7 p.m.

Gayot noted the organization holds outdoor events at times.

“It is private property and it’s a little safer than the street,” she said.

“But accidents happen — we cannot predict accidents. We just try our best to keep our community safe when we have activities. We have some security guards and community members (helping).”

Gayot, like many in Winnipeg’s Filipino community, has relatives and friends in Vancouver and she checked on them after she heard about the attack.

“I called them and everybody is safe,” she said. “They left after the concert.

“But they are mourning some of their friends.”

Malaya Marcelino, the province’s labour and immigration minister, said she is hearing a range of emotions from Filipinos in the community.

“We’re seeing people very angry, some feeling fear and, for me, I personally was a little bit overwhelmed by all the different emotions,” Marcelino said.

“I could just feel it, and my body is feeling sick to my stomach — especially being able to see those types of images. Something like this has never happened to our community before. There have been individual tragedies, but this is a mass casualty.”

Marcelino said many members of her community are finding comfort in their religious faith.

“Many of us are part of faith communities and I think that has been their response — to lean into our faith communities, take solace in the word of God and have faith in better days to come.”

Marcelino said with the busy summer festival season approaching, many organizations will be working with law enforcement to see how they can hold them while keeping attendees safe.

She said no one is cancelling any plans.

“We know that we can’t be acting out of fear,” the minister said. “We have to continue to go ahead and live good lives and happy lives. But we have to be prudent and also prepare for possibilities like that because it’s not an unusual occurrence anymore.”

Kris Ontong, a community activist and co-founder of Barangay Canada, an online media initiative, said he is “heartbroken and angry” about what happened.

“Filipinos are hard workers and don’t usually go out — a festival like this is where they go to relax,” he said. “To have this happen at a street festival is so shocking. I’m a father and when I heard a five year old had been killed, it shocked me to the core.

“We deserve to gather without fear.”

One of the Filipino community’s annual events is the Kultivation Festival, which focuses on its heritage and culture, while previewing what a Filipino district would look like in the city.

Allan Pineda, the festival’s executive director, said it is held across the city with some events indoors, but others outside.

Pineda said there have been discussions about increasing security at the event, even before the Vancouver tragedy.

“I don’t think we’ll change anything,” he said. “I think this was a one off.”

— with files from Carol Sanders

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca