The public will learn Thursday the results of an independent review conducted over the past two months into the riot that erupted downtown June 15 after the Vancouver Canucks lost Game 7 to the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final.
John Furlong, former head of the Vancouver Olympic Committee, and Douglas Keefe, former Nova Scotia deputy attorney general, will present their findings at a press conference Thursday.
At press time, location and time were not released.
We know our findings will be carefully scrutinized, said a statement from Furlong and Keefe issued shortly after the two men were appointed co-chairs of the riot review. Our aim is to produce a credible report with accurate findings, useful recommendations and some pragmatic event planning and management tools that improve the chances for successful events in the future and diminish the likelihood of another riot.
The focus of the review, as endorsed by the B.C. government, the city and the Vancouver Police Board, was to examine the following:
What was learned from the 1994 Stanley Cup riot and how the findings were integrated into the planning for the Game 7 celebrations June 15.
The foundational elements of plans by the Vancouver Police Department and city for the event and the relationships of those plans to what transpired in the lead-up to and during the riot.
The availability of liquor at public events and the contribution the availability made to the events that unfolded June 15, a bright sunny day that attracted thousands of people to downtown bars.
A framework for how the city and the VPD work with the appropriate partners to optimize the safe, inclusive and enjoyable participation of the public in celebrations in public spaces.
The VPD, the city and Vancouver Fire-Rescue have either completed or continue to conduct separate reviews into the riot. Its not clear whether those reviews will be made public.
The VPD, meanwhile, launched a website Tuesday dedicated solely to capturing people who participated in the riot. So far, Crown counsel has not approved any charges related to the riot.
Two weeks ago, Chu told reporters no one is more frustrated than I am that every last one of the hundreds of thugs and rioters are not before the courts or in prison. But Chu explained why, as he has several times, why no charges have been approved against rioters.
He said the probe is the largest investigation ever conducted, in terms of suspects in one event, in Vancouver and possibly Canada. It will take months before all the evidence is processed and police are ready to make arrests. Chu has promised hundreds of suspects will be charged.
Some of you wonder why we cant act as quickly here as the police and courts appear to be acting in Britain, he said, referring to riots that erupted recently in England. There is a detailed answer to that question that I suspect most of you are not interested in, but the short answer is that Canada is not Britain. Our laws are different, our courts are different and our riots are different.
At least 50 businesses were damaged in the riot and 15 vehicles set ablaze. More than 100 injuries were reported, including a man who fell from one of the viaducts. Police officers were also injured on a night that has, so far, brought only one formal complaint against officers.
Twitter: @Howellings
