Publication ban on hearing to decide if festival suspect Adam Kai-Ji Lo fit for trial

VANCOUVER — A judge has imposed a publication ban on a hearing to determine if the man accused of killing 11 people at the Vancouver Lapu Lapu Day festival is fit to stand trial.

Adam Kai-Ji Lo faces 11 counts of second-degree murder and is accused of driving an SUV through a crowded street.

Lo, 30, appeared in provincial court in Vancouver on Wednesday wearing a dark blue sweatshirt.

He scanned the gallery and he waved to someone after he was allowed into a secured box with a Plexiglas separation within the courtroom.

He sat expressionless but stood and answered “No” when asked by the judge if he would like the proceedings to be in French.

The publication ban covers all evidence at the fitness hearing, which is scheduled to last two days. However, legal arguments and the ruling on Lo’s fitness have been delayed while a separate case that is potentially relevant to his situation plays out in Canada’s highest court.

The decision from the Supreme Court of Canada is expected later this week regarding the issue of fitness to stand trial, Crown prosecutor Michaela Donnelly told the court.

“It’s essentially impossible to make legal argument, particularly because the law may change overnight,” she said.

Defence lawyer Mark Swartz said he wanted to continue with the hearing, noting that any fundamental changes to testimony could be amended by way of a filed report or brief appearance about the changes.

The judge agreed there may be potential for changes to evidence in the Lo case based on the Supreme Court ruling, but regardless of that decision, the foundational evidence would remain the same.

A date to hear legal arguments has not yet been set.

A media consortium that includes The Canadian Press has challenged the publication ban that was supported by the Crown.

Under proposed wording, evidence arising at the hearing would not be publishable until the ban is lifted or after the end of the trial.

However, it says the existence and outcome of the fitness hearing may be reported.

The consortium’s lawyer, Daniel Coles, said he expected a written version of the publication ban later Wednesday, and that he would continue to argue for the ban to be lifted.

RJ Aquino, the chair of festival organizer Filipino BC, said the court proceedings could prove traumatizing for victims and members of the Filipino community.

He said many have expressed anger and frustration since the April 26 attack and still find it difficult to cope with the tragedy almost three months later.

Dozens of people were injured in the attack in East Vancouver, in which a black SUV sped through a street crowded with festivalgoers. Police said six victims remain in hospital in stable condition.

B.C.’s Health Ministry said in a statement shortly after the attack that Lo was “being followed closely” under the Mental Health Act by a Vancouver Coastal Health care team at the time of the vehicle ramming.

The statement said Lo gave “no indication of violence” and nothing appeared to warrant involuntary hospitalization before the attack.

Aquino says community members of the Filipino community will be watching the hearing closely.

Many want “speedy closure,” but justice takes time, he said.

Aquino says Filipino BC will prepare for all possible outcomes, and support for victims’ families and community members will continue.

“We want to make sure that we’re providing the support that the community needs, we’re able to continue to be present with each other as we inevitably revisit what had happened through these proceedings.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025.