Residents hold candles during a vigil at Monument Park in Wilkie on Saturday, May 3, 2025, to honour the victims of the April 26 SUV ramming attack at a Filipino cultural street festival in Vancouver. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Kenneth Cheung

COMMUNITY SPIRIT

‘We do care’: Wilkie gathers in vigil to support Filipino community after Vancouver attack

May 4, 2025 | 4:07 PM

In a quiet prairie town over 1,500 kilometres from Vancouver, candles flickered as residents gathered to honour victims of a deadly April 26 attack, when a man drove an SUV into a Filipino cultural street festival.

The vigil, held Saturday night in Monument Park in Wilkie, was organized by residents who felt compelled to support their neighbours in the local Filipino community.

“Turning on the news last Sunday morning, I was horrified by the actions that took place,” said Helen Urlacher, one of the organizers, who later reached out to her close Filipino friend Marilou Canong to help make the event happen.

“Just to see a bunch of innocent lives lost was just horrible.”

Wilkie is home to about 20 Filipino families, and Urlacher said they are the “most amazing and hard-working people.”

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“They’re at our health centres, they’re at our businesses, they’re at our group homes here in Wilkie,” she said. “They would do anything for anyone, and so in return, this is what we can do for them.”

During the vigil held at Monument Park in Wilkie on Saturday, May 3, 2025. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW staff)

While only around 11 community members showed up, Urlacher said she had hoped for more, but was grateful for those who came.

“The people that did show up are perfect, perfect in every single way,” she said.

Among those in attendance was Pastor Gary Neigum of the Wilkie Pentecostal Church.

“We do care…to stand with our Filipino community amidst this tragedy that happened and to let them know that we support them through all the trials that they’re going through,” he said.

“[The victims and their families] may be separated by distance, but they’re not separated in the hearts and minds of the people here.”

The attack in Vancouver, which took place during the Lapu Lapu cultural festival, left 11 people dead and more than 20 others injured. The suspect was reportedly suffering from a mental health crisis at the time — something Urlacher said cannot be ignored.

“It seems like mental health issues are an epidemic nowadays, even more so in middle-aged people from like 40 to 50 and mental health [issues] don’t really choose who and when, but we can always choose to go get help or if we see someone struggling, we can go and help them.”

Helen Urlacher, one of the organizers of the vigil. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW staff)

Neigum emphasized the need for access to mental health support, saying “there should be avenues open for them to get the help that they need in that regard.”

Jim Williams, a local resident, said he shares a strong bond with the town’s Filipino community.

“Philippine friends sometimes say I’m just Jim. They call me Sir and are classy. They would invite me to their house, give me food and be very concerned with people.”

Williams noted that it was important for him to be there for the people who’ve shown him kindness.

“Tonight I could have gone somewhere else, but I was coming here for all the people, and they’re special in my heart,” he said.

“If something happened [to me], I know they’d be there for me,” he said.

“The Philippines, very special to me.”

As the night wrapped up, Urlacher offered a final message.

“Just to hold each other tight ,to love each other. Help someone in need, if you see someone needs help to cross the street, help them to cross the street. If you see someone not smiling, give them your smile.”

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com