January 2021 Newsletter
Happy New Year everyone! We made it through a year that seemed like an eternity. Despite the difficulties we continue to face, there is the opportunity to come together and work for a better, greater good. If you have ideas, concerns or want to know how you can get more involved in your neighbourhood, send us an e-mail.
January Meeting: The Plan for the Park
We held our first SRA Zoom meeting of the year on Wednesday January 6th, 2021 and would like to thank all of you who were able to attend. We were joined by Sandra Singh, General Manager of Culture, Community and Arts Services, and Donnie Rosa, Senior General Manager of the Vancouver Park Board. They walked us through the plan to finally address the encampment in Strathcona Park, which includes incrementally providing housing as it becomes available, contained the camp to a portion of the park and providing temporary support services until housing is available. They answered many questions about the details. Click here to read the meeting minutes.
David Eby, the new Provinical Minister of Housing, later promised (on CBC Radio) that the camp will be closed by April. Sandra later said, “The City recognizes how important Strathcona Park is to this neighbourhood and we are grateful for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions or would like to be added to our mailing list, please feel free to email us at homelessness@vancouver.ca.
Our next SRA meeting will be Weds. Feb 3 at 7 PM. A link and agenda will go out to all members the week before.
Air Quality Survey
The Community-Led Air Quality Monitoring Project is kicking off this week with a survey to assess residents’ concerns about Strathcona’s air quality and how willing they might be to actively participate in “citizen science”. Projects like this have popped up in the US and Europe, but this is one of the first in Canada. The Port is supporting us with a grant and is willing to fund monitoring gear if there’s enough interest. So please click the link below to fill out the survey – and please forward the link to local friends and neighbours who might not be on our e-mail list. The more responses we get, the better the outcome will be.
A Message from the Strathcona Community Policing Centre
Here in Strathcona over the last (incredibly challenging) 10 months, we have seen heart-warming displays of community, compassion and willingness to help and have each other’s backs. We thank this neighbourhood for welcoming us, engaging with us and continuing to work with us towards a more collaborative and community-led approach to public safety.
Though we continue to have a strong and positive partnership with the Vancouver Police Department, we also feel there is an opportunity for less VPD involvement in local issues if the right supports and programs are in place to address the root causes of some of our shared crime and safety concerns. Some of the ideas we’re exploring: a restorative justice program, a youth safety program for kids, and workshops for businesses and residents on personal safety. We’ll be discussing these at the February SRA meeting on Feb. 3.
The Community Policing Model relies on active engagement with the community it serves, especially in a community as diverse as ours. We have a major opportunity over the next year plus to influence the future of “policing” and community safety. But to do that, we need you to get involved. Here’s how:
- Come visit our office at 872 E. Hastings to say hello and find out more about what we already do.
- Volunteer with us. We have a range of activities from the casual to the intensive that will allow you to give back and be a part of a strong community.
- Tell us what you’re seeing and thinking. To be at our best, we need to know what is happening in the community. Where are we most needed? Do you have an idea of a project that will help the neighbourhood? Here’s how to reach us: 604-717-0622 or info@strathconacpc.ca
We love this neighbourhood, and we want to see it become the absolute best version of itself.
Thank you, Strathcona.
Dan Turvill,
Executive Director,
Strathcona Community Safety Association operating the Strathcona Community Policing Centre
Are you a member of the SRA (not just on our newsletter list)? Membership is free to all residents of Strathcona. You get our e-mail updates, meeting invites, surveys and voting privileges. To join, click here. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to any neighbours who might not know it exists. Thanks.