Lapu-Lapu Day Tragedy in Vancouver

[GAPS-EDI Committee]

Dear GAPS Community,

A terrible event happened this weekend at the Lapu-Lapu Day Festival in Vancouver, and its impact is still being learned. If you have not yet heard about it in the news, there are many ways to obtain information, for example this article from CBC: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vehicle-hits-crowd-filipino-festival-lapu-lapu-day-block-party-1.7519778.

Please care for yourself if you were in any way affected, and know that you have people who are there to support you and who also may benefit from your support. If you need to make different work arrangements, please talk to your supervisor and they should understand. If you don’t feel comfortable doing so, please contact us and we will do what we can to assist. Below are a few resources if you or someone you know is struggling or does later:

  *   If you are in a mental-health crisis or at risk of imminent harm, please call 9-8-8, the BC Crisis Line.
  *   If you are or were affected by crime or trauma, the Victim Services Unit<https://vpd.ca/report-a-crime/information-for-victims/> of the Vancouver Police Department offers free and confidential counseling and other services (604-717-2737)
  *    VictimLink BC<https://victimlinkbc.ca/> (1-800-563-0808) offers a support program for victims of crime and trauma. Call or text 24/7 free and confidentially. 240 languages are supported.
  *   You may also visit Vancouver Costal Health's website<https://www.vch.ca/en/health-topics/services-coastal-region> for more resources.
  *   We all have access to up to 5 free hours of phone counseling through TRIUMF's wellness program. Those hours can be extended if the counselor sees fit.

Thank you to Ania for compiling the above resources.

In addition, the organizers of the Lapu-Lapu Day Festival, Filipino BC<https://www.facebook.com/filipinobc>, provide information, resources, and ways to support. A group of local Filipinx people in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley have also put together a website<https://vanfilemergency.my.canva.site/> of resources, event info and fundraising. We encourage you to reference these in the coming days for more resources and ways to support.

Community groups at UBC, Sulong UBC and UBC Kababayan are hosting a vigil on Wednesday April 30th from 2:30 pm in front of the UBC Bookstore. Please see the details at https://www.instagram.com/p/DJA4AMEJeoG/?img_index=1.

We are thinking of the victims, families, and all community members in this difficult time.

-Your GAPS + ECS-EDI

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TRIUMF is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people, who for millennia have passed on their culture, history, and traditions from one generation to the next on this site.

The ECS-EDI is a community-led organization focusing on EDI initiatives and action at TRIUMF. It is a subset of GAPS, but hosts events for all of TRIUMF. We are always looking for new committee members, so please email us at gaps.edi at triumf.ca<mailto:gaps.edi at triumf.ca> if you have any questions or would like to join a meeting! If you use Instagram, follow us<https://www.instagram.com/ediattriumf/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw%3D%3D> to stay in the loop and know about our events!
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