Hamilton City Council is moving quickly to review event safety following the April 26 vehicle-ramming attack against the Lapu-Lapu Day festival in Vancouver. The attack left eleven people dead and at least 32 people injured.
Council’s Public Works Committee will vote Tuesday (May 20) to direct the City’s transportation department to identify safety measures to protect street festivals and other events this summer.
Councillor Matt Francis wants the City to “explore steps that we could take to enhance safety at our own local events to better protect all residents and ensure our community gatherings remain safe spaces for everyone.”
Following the Vancouver attack, the City began using a handful of Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) barriers during the May 9 James Street North Art Crawl road closure.
It was not the first time the City deployed enhanced measures.
In June 2021, following the London, Ontario, hate-motivated truck attack, the City of Hamilton deployed hostile vehicle protection measures for a vigil service mourning the four members of a Muslim family that were killed in that attack.
During Supercrawl, Hamilton’s largest street festival, the City has deployed garbage trucks and other heavy vehicles to prevent vehicle entries.
Tuesday’s Public Works meeting begins at 1:30 p.m.
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Published: May 16, 2025
Last updated: May 16, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
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