Vancouver Festival Tragedy + NDP Falls in New West

Inside the New West Spotlight

 🌧️ Weather - Cloudy with Showers

 😜 Rain Joke - My favorite exercise is a cross between a lunge and a crunch 🧘 

 💝 You’re So Sweet - Thank you, Rob E.!

 🗓️ New West Events - Variety

 🗞️ New West Local News - Vancouver Festival Tragedy + NDP Falls in New West

 😆 Meme of the Day

 📰 Advertise with New West Spotlight - Buy One, Get One Free

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April 29, 2025

🌺 Hanging Basket Workshop – 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

🗣️ English Conversation Circles All Levels – 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

🧘 Yang Tai Chi 24 form – 5:00 PM

🍺 🎲 Beer and Board Games – 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM

❓️ Trivia Tuesdays at Howe Sound New West – 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

🎭️ Trivia Tuesdays at Notorious Grey Fox – 7:00 PM

🎸 Georgie's Local Tuesday Night Jam Session – 7:00 PM

🗣️ English Conversation Circles All Levels – 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

📖 Storytime (3-5 years) – 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM

🍪 Tim Horton’s Smile Cookie Week  – Monday April 28, 12:01 AM to Sunday May 4, 11:59 PM

April 30, 2025

🌺 Hanging Basket Workshop – 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM

💰️ Financial Aid (Welfare) Worker at NWPL – 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

👶 Mom + Baby Meet Up at Cove Indoor Play – 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 CaRT Peer Navigators – 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM

👶 Babytime (0-23 months) – 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM

📕 Reading Theatre Series "The Coronation Voyage" – 1:45 PM

🎒 After-School Drop-In (5-12 years) – 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

📚️ Pyjama Storytime (All ages) – 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM

❓️ Trivia Night at Georgie's Local – 7:00 PM

🏃 Run Club  – 7:00 PM

👦👧 Connect Youth (13+) – 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM

🎤 Open Mic Jam at Bully’s Studio – 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM

❓️ Trivia Night at Frankie G’s – 7:30 PM

🍪 Tim Horton’s Smile Cookie Week  – Monday April 28, 12:01 AM to Sunday May 4, 11:59 PM

May 01, 2025

💑 City LOVE Scavenger Hunt Date Night For Couples - New Westminster Area – 1:00 PM

🏓 Intro to Pickleball Drop-in – 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM

📚️ Drop-in Wildfires Bookshop – 5:45 PM

🎙️ Karaoke Night at Georgie's – 7:00 PM

🎙️ Colossal Thursdays Karaoke at The Terminal Pub – 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

🎤 Open Mic Jam at Notorious Grey Fox – 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM

🎶 Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 The Musical – 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM

🎭️ Vagabond Players Presents The Revolutionists – 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM

🏆️ New West Youth Awards (Invitation Only Event) – at Century House

🍅 Farmers Market  – 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

🍪 Tim Horton’s Smile Cookie Week  – Monday, April 28, 12:01 AM to Sunday, May 4, 11:59 PM

 🕯️ Grieving Together: Vancouver Mourns After Lapu Lapu Day Festival Turns Tragic

A New Westminster teacher has been identified among the 11 victims who died following a devastating attack at Vancouver’s Filipino Lapu Lapu Day street festival on Saturday.

Kira Salim, a teacher-counsellor at Fraser River Middle School and New Westminster Secondary School, was confirmed deceased by New Westminster Schools in a letter to parents. The district praised Kira’s dedication and positive impact on students and emphasized the profound loss felt throughout the community. In response, counsellors have been made available to support grieving staff, students, and families.

The tragedy struck when a man drove a vehicle into a crowd during the festival, an event meant to celebrate Filipino culture. Victims ranged in age from five to 65, and flower tributes continue to grow at the site of the attack.

Among those killed were Richard Le, his wife Linh Hoang, and their five-year-old daughter Katie Le, confirmed by a family member. The family had attended the festival to enjoy the gathering but never returned home. They leave behind a 16-year-old son, Andy, who did not attend the event. Richard was known as a devoted coach and real estate professional, while Linh was remembered as a loving partner. Young Katie, just beginning her school journey, was described as a joyful and bright spirit.

Rizza Pagkanlungan, a Filipina immigrant who settled first in Winnipeg and then Vancouver, was also named among the deceased. A fundraising campaign has been launched to assist in returning her body to the Philippines, where she will be laid to rest among loved ones. She is survived by her husband, brother, and other family members in Canada.

The violence left 32 others injured and transported to six different hospitals across the Lower Mainland. By Monday, 17 patients remained hospitalized, with conditions ranging from minor to critical. Notably, BC Children’s Hospital continues to treat several young victims, including a two-year-old child. Twelve people were discharged over the weekend, but the community continues to grapple with the extensive impact of the tragedy.

How to Support

In response to the incident, fundraising platform GoFundMe has activated its crisis response team. The site’s global trust and safety specialists are actively vetting and verifying fundraisers connected to the tragedy, compiling all verified pages into a centralized hub for public access.

For individuals seeking assistance or support services:

• A 24-hour assistance centre is available at Douglas Park Community Centre, 801 West 22nd Avenue.

• Vancouver Police Department Victim Liaison Officer: 604-717-3321

• Victim Services (available 24/7): Call or text 1-800-563-0808, or email [email protected]

• 310 Mental Health Line: Call 310-6789

• Crisis Line: Call 1-800-784-2433

Additionally, members of the local Filipino community have created a Google Doc resource list with emergency response resources. A Filipino Emergency Response website has also been set up, featuring support request forms, information about community gatherings, and additional resources.

As the city mourns, efforts are focused on healing, supporting affected families, and honoring the lives lost.

Read the full article here

 🍁 Carney's Liberals Secure Election Win as NDP Falls in Local Shock 🍁 

Mark Carney and the Liberal Party have secured a striking victory in Canada’s federal election, following a high-stakes campaign defined by U.S. trade hostilities, growing national anxiety, and a deadly car-ramming attack in Vancouver. While final counts are still underway, the Liberals are projected to form the next government, though it remains unclear whether they will command a majority in the 343-seat House of Commons.

The result marks a dramatic political comeback, with the Liberal Party overtaking the Conservatives, who had held a commanding lead in polls earlier this year. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who had been widely expected to become prime minister, appears set to lose his own seat — a symbolic end to a campaign that lost momentum in its final weeks.

Carney, a former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor, ran on a platform of economic resilience and national sovereignty. His campaign was largely defined by his firm opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade measures, including steep tariffs on Canadian exports, and Trump’s controversial remarks suggesting Canada should become America’s “51st state.” Carney struck a defiant tone throughout, calling the actions a betrayal and vowing to reduce Canada’s economic dependence on the U.S.

In his victory speech in Ottawa, Carney declared, “President Trump is trying to break us so America can own us. That will never—that will never, ever happen.” He pledged to remember the lessons of what he termed an “American betrayal” and committed to rebuilding Canadian industries, forging new global alliances, and defending the country’s sovereignty.

The election unfolded against a backdrop of national grief, following a tragic car-ramming attack in Vancouver that left multiple people dead. The incident, still under investigation, added to the sense of instability and urgency felt by many voters across the country.

A Stunning Upset in New Westminster–Burnaby–Maillardville

In one of the night’s most surprising local upsets, veteran NDP MP Peter Julian — a prominent voice in his party and longtime fixture in Parliament — fell to third place in his riding of New Westminster–Burnaby–Maillardville. With more than 75% of votes counted across 163 of 193 polls, the Conservative candidate Indy Panchi appeared poised to win.

Panchi, a relative unknown who secured the Conservative nomination just before the Elections Canada deadline, led with 8,568 votes. Liberal candidate Jake Sawatzky followed closely with 8,286, while Julian trailed at 7,383. Green candidate Tara Shustarian garnered just 358 votes. Independent candidate Lourence Almonte Singh, disqualified as the Conservative nominee prior to the campaign, appeared on the ballot but was not a factor in the race.

Julian’s unexpected fall reflects a broader political realignment across several urban and suburban ridings, where traditional party loyalties were disrupted by anxiety over economic security and national direction..

Read the full article here

⛈️ Rain Joke of the Day 🌧️ 

My favorite exercise is a cross between a lunge and a crunch 🧘

🌧️ —it’s called “rain dodging.” 🌧️ 

Meme of the Day

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