April 26th tragedy at the Lapu Lapu festival support services

Supports and resources are available for victims, witnesses and those impacted by the April 26th Tragedy at the Lapu Lapu Festival.

We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of the people killed and injured, and all those who witnessed the tragedy.

On this page

• Victim services
• Benefits for victims, family members and witnesses
• Mental health supports for all impacted
• Other resources

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Victim Services

VictimLinkBC

VictimLinkBC is a support program for victims of crime and trauma across B.C. and Yukon. This service is toll-free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in different languages. VictimLinkBC provides information and referrals to a network of community, social, health, criminal justice system and government resources. More information can be found at VictimLinkBC.

Vancouver Police Department (VPD) Victim Services

If you are a victim, a family member, or witnessed the incident, please contact the VPD Victim Service Unit. Victim Services Unit staff are not police officers, but civilian professionals with specialized training in supporting those impacted by crime, victimization, and trauma. Services provided include:

• Emotional support
• Crisis intervention
• Information regarding the police investigative process
• Practical assistance such as help completing forms for benefits programs
• Referrals to other community resources such as bereavement support and counselling
• Liaising with government, justice and community partners
• Information about the criminal justice system and support through the court process

The Unit can be reached by phone at 604-717-2737, ext. 4, or by email at vpd.vsu@vpd.ca.

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Benefits for victims, family members and witnesses

ICBC and the Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP) are working together to ensure that people injured in this incident, their family members, and witnesses to the tragedy can access the supports available to help them recover.

ICBC has established a dedicated team to make sure those impacted can access the benefits available to them during this challenging time. Related claims or questions should be directed to ICBC at 604-520-8222.

Benefits may also be available through the Crime Victim Assistance Program (CVAP) to support those impacted. CVAP provides benefits to assist victims, their immediate family members and certain witnesses in coping with the effects of violent crime, where same or similar benefits are not available from another source. 

Applications can be submitted to CVAP, where a dedicated team is available to respond and can be contacted at 604-660-3888. Callers should press “5” and ask to speak to the dedicated team responding to the April 26th tragedy.

Mental health supports

The following supports are available to anyone impacted.

Kapwa Centre for Community Resilience

The Kapwa Centre is a temporary Community Resilience Centre hosted by Filipino BC. It is located at Christ City South Vancouver (5887 Prince Edward St, Vancouver, V5W 2X8). Members of Health Emergency Management B.C.’s Disaster Psychosocial Support (DPS) team are set up at the Resilience Centre. The DPS team can provide immediate support to those experiencing distress or acute mental health impacts, as well as connecting those affected to information, community resources, social supports and other helpful resources.

The Kapwa Centre also includes supports from the Salvation Army, the Canadian Red Cross, the Archdiocese of Vancouver, and St. John Ambulance BC and Yukon.

Hours of operation and updates on the Kapwa Centre will be provided by Filipino BC.

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Other resources

These resources may include links to external websites that are not operated by Community Safety and Victim Services.

City of Vancouver

The City of Vancouver has established a webpage to provide information and resources to victims, witnesses and the public.

Filipino BC

Filipino BC supports the development of the Filipino Community & Cultural Centre in Vancouver. Filipino BC continues to provide community updates on the response to the tragedy.

BC Bereavement Helpline

BC Bereavement Helpline is a free, and confidential service that connects people to grief support services within the province of B.C. They can be reached by phone at 604-738-9950 or 1-877-779-2223 (Toll Free).