Paris attacks: Vancouver and Victoria hold vigils for victims

In pouring rain, residents in Vancouver and Victoria stood to reflect upon the acts of terrorism that have rocked Paris, France.

In Victoria dozens of people gathered to light candles, place flowers and French flags on the grounds of B.C.'s legislature.

Meanwhile in Vancouver, up to 1,000 people stood together under umbrellas at the art gallery to also light candles, pray and hear speeches and music all offered in solidarity with France.

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With tears in her eyes, Ana Zelaya stood with her two daughters and husband at the vigil.

"It's important for our kids to understand that we should care about what's going on in the world," she said after driving from Surrey to be at the art gallery. "They're our future, so as parents we need to teach them to be humble and when someone's in need to extend that kindness towards one another."

Pierre Bourguignon was raised in Paris and is now studying at UBC but says his father and two friends escaped the attacks unharmed. His sister's friend however was killed.

"I think that's the least I could do, coming here and sending my thoughts and prayers to all those families, all those people who lost someone that night," he said.

One of the city's public street pianos was brought to the vigil and it was used to play John Lennon's Imagine and Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. In France, a German man biked his portable piano to the scene of one of the attacks to also play Imagine.

In other acts of support and solidarity, Vancouver's City Hall rotated its lights on the north face of the building through red, white and blue while Port Metro Vancouver put the colours on France's national flag on the Canada Place Sails and BC Place did something similar with its lights.