In response to a tragic vehicle attack at a Vancouver festival, Toronto is ramping up its security measures for local events. The city will allocate $2.1 million this year to enhance safety at festivals, following the deadly incident that claimed 11 lives at the Lapu-Lapu Day festival in Vancouver last month.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow made the announcement during a safety summit on Monday, which brought together around 150 festival organizers and security experts. Chow expressed her condolences regarding the Vancouver tragedy, stating, "We mourned. Our spirit is strong, the spirit that comes from working together, the spirit that comes from all the thousands of organizers that organized the most successful festivals, from all over the world."

The funding aims to ensure that festivals in Toronto remain safe and enjoyable. Chow emphasized that fear should not dictate how people live their lives. "We will work with festivals to ensure they are successful, safe and remain joyous," she said.

In addition to the $2.1 million, the city will provide a $100,000 seed grant to help festival organizers establish a nonprofit association. This association will focus on promoting the interests of local events. The city also plans to share new resources to assist in event planning and execution.

The tragic events in Vancouver have prompted festival organizers across Canada to reevaluate their security protocols. British Columbia Premier David Eby announced an independent commission to investigate festival security practices, aiming to bolster public confidence in attending community events this summer.

The Lapu-Lapu Day festival was marred by a horrific incident where a man drove an SUV into a crowd, resulting in 11 fatalities and numerous injuries. Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai noted that a risk assessment was conducted prior to the event, and police determined that heavy-vehicle barricades were not necessary. However, he stated that the police would review their decision-making process in light of the tragedy.

The summit in Toronto allowed participants to exchange knowledge on best practices for festival security. Chow remarked, "We learned a lot about best practices of how we could collectively buy insurance together, what are some of the mitigation effects, how we could work with the emergency services and what kind of things we must do to make sure it’s safe."

The funding announced by Chow will support Toronto’s Special Events Stabilization Initiative, which was introduced last year. This initiative aims to help cover festival expenses related to health, safety, and security, including funding for fire and paramedic services and measures to mitigate the threat of hostile vehicles.