"They spent the whole afternoon last Sunday trying to find the victims, and my son was later heartbroken to learn that six lives were lost," Au said, shaking his head.
Au emphasized the need for the community to rally around the grieving relatives both locally and overseas.
"We all gathered here with a heavy heart since victims’ families, whether they are here or overseas, are experiencing immense grief and sorrow," Au said to the crowd, many of whom were sobbing.
"We should offer endless compassion, care, and help for them."
Au suggested that Canadian maritime authorities should review safety regulations, specifically regarding life-jacket requirements for adults and annual vessel safety inspections.
"I understand adults aren’t legally required to wear a life-jacket in Canada, but sometimes boats can tilt in seconds, leaving no time to put on a life-jacket," said Au, “Maybe we should consider implementing more regulations related to boating safety.”
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Transport Canada records indicate that the sunken vessel's identification number matches a boat registered to Lihe Yin and Shengnan Song, with Song listed as the sole director of Top Vancouver Fishing Charter Inc. When contacted by phone, a man identifying himself as Yin denied knowledge of the vessel and hung up, while the company's website has paused online bookings.
