Mayor Olivia Chow on Monday announced increased funding for street festival security in º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøin the wake of the deadly Lapu-Lapu Day vehicle attack in Vancouver. She was joined by budget chief and Coun. Shelley Carroll; Danilo Baluyot, executive director of Taste of Manila; and Coun. Mike Colle.
º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøto boost street festival security funding in the wake of Lapu-Lapu Day attack
Monday’s announcement of additional funding for security followed a safety summit in º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøwhere 150 representatives from festivals across the city met with elected officials.
Mayor Olivia Chow on Monday announced increased funding for street festival security in º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøin the wake of the deadly Lapu-Lapu Day vehicle attack in Vancouver. She was joined by budget chief and Coun. Shelley Carroll; Danilo Baluyot, executive director of Taste of Manila; and Coun. Mike Colle.
The city of º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøwill inject an additional $750,000 in funding for festivals this summer to bolster security in the wake of the deadly Lapu-Lapu Day vehicle attack in Vancouver.Ìý
The announcement followed a safety summit in º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøon Monday morning, where 150 representatives from festivals across the city met with elected officials, including Mayor Olivia Chow.Ìý
“We were all kicked in the stomach when we heard about Vancouver,” said Coun. Mike Colle, who called for the summit to discuss the organizations’ security concerns. “We can’t let that happen here.”
Chow told reporters at a press conference Monday she met with Toronto’s Filipino community after the “horrible tragedy” in Vancouver. She said they told her “Our spirit is strong. We are mourning, but we are going to keep going.”Â
In August, “Taste of Manilla” at Bathurst Street and Wilson Avenue, now in its 12th year, will go ahead as planned. The mayor said she hopes it will be the festival’s largest iteration ever.Ìý
“It’s (about) resiliency and diversity. Taste of Manila is not only for the Filipinos and not only for º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøbut for everyone in Canada and beyond,” said Danilo Baluyot, executive director of Taste of Manila.
“We need the full support of everyone to show people that we will continue doing this for everyone.”
An expert on hostile vehicle mitigation measures from the U.S. joined the summit Monday.ÌýWays to impede hostile vehicles include blocking off roads with buses or bollards. Some of this funding could go to creating barricades like these at festivals, the city said, at the direction of º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøpolice.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
“A thing like hostile vehicle mitigation — we never heard that term a couple of years ago,” said Coun. Shelley Carroll. “But it’s now a component of every event in the city so that you can come, you can feel safe.”
º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøwill also establish a not-for-profit “festival association” to promote and grow local events. Chow said the city would be providing the association with a $100,000 “seed grant.”
Ben Cohen is part of the Star's city hall bureau, based in
Toronto. Follow him on X: .
Mahdis Habibinia is part of the Star's city hall bureau, based
in Toronto. Reach her via email: mhabibinia@thestar.ca
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation