The Norgate Park Community Association held a Directors meeting last evening, and the subject of safety in the Norgate area was on the agenda. The recent meeting with the RCMP and Norgate Community brought up a few issues, and mostly it was to keep doing what we’ve been doing.
- Report everything to either 911 or the non-emergency because it will bring more resources for the RCMP to work with. It’s a bit like the squeaky wheel idea. If they’re getting calls about suspicious activity, they can dispatch officers to investigate and that in turn shows a need in our area.
- Install high quality motion sensor lights and cameras if you can. You can find some very good options on places like Amazon.
- Be self-aware : Don’t leave belongings in front of your home or in your car. As neighbours, if you see your neighbour has had deliveries to their home and they’re not around, maybe grab the package and bring it into your home and let your neighbour know. We do this in our corner area on Rosewood. (Make sure that you talk with your neighbours and discuss this just so someone doesn’t think you’re stealing!)
- Join Blockwatch! If you are not part of Blockwatch in your particular area, ask a neighbour, or you can email the NPCA and we’ll get it to the Blockwatch Area Coordinator and they’ll be able to let you know who your Blockwatch Captain is for your area.
- If you see someone selling drugs / doing drugs – call 911 immediately and they can dispatch an officer and be here quickly. The same thing if you see someone stealing items / breaking into homes or cars.
- Register your bike with GARAGE529. (I think its also referred to as Project529).
https://project529.com/garage/organizations/northvancouverrcmp/landing
As part of the discussion about safety, especially in regards to our children in the area, we discussed the old system of “Block Parent”. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the program or maybe just too young to remember it, it was a volunteer system of parents in the area where you live, that would have a sign up in the front window of their homes letting kids know that this is a Block Parent house, and they can safely go their for help if needed. The program isn’t around anymore but we came up with the idea of creating our own version. Again it would be a volunteer system, and anyone who wanted to be a part of it, as a “safe Place” would need to have their vulnerable sector police check done. The NPCA would run the program. To start it would make the most sense to have Blockwatch Captains agree to do it, as all Blockwatch Captains have to do their vulnerable sector police checks. It’s something we could grow, but as a Community it makes sense to have safe homes for kids to go to if they feel the need for help.
Please take a read of the proposed letter below, and if you can please let us know what your thoughts are on it. Please email the NPCA at [email protected] or you can also go to the Norgate Facebook page and find the post and leave your comment there. We are initially just looking into this an trying to get feedback from the Community.
Hello everyone. The NPCA had a meeting last night, and one of the things that came up was the RCMP meeting that we had a few weeks ago. In that meeting, we felt that we never really had a proper and clear solution for kids who don’t feel safe walking around our neighbourhood alone anymore. Some of us remembered the Block Parent Program that we used to have decades ago and how awesome it was. So, we thought, “Why not start it up again in Norgate?” Can you read this letter below that the NPCA made up and let us know your thoughts and concerns? Thank you for your time.
Community Input Wanted: Should Norgate Create its own Norgate Safe Place Program?
Hello Norgate neighbours,
At our recent community discussions, a few residents suggested exploring the Block Parent® Program for Norgate — a long-standing, Canada-wide safety initiative where approved households display a small sign indicating they are a safe place for children or youth and may need quick help. This program is no longer in place, so we would like to create our own version of it: the Norgate Safe Place Program.
Before we take any steps, we’d love to hear from YOU.
What is the Program?
Safe Place homes will offer:
- A safe, trusted place in case kids feel threatened, lost, or need help
- Quick access to an adult who can call for assistance
- Visible reassurance that our neighbourhood is watching out for each other
Participation is voluntary, and all Safe Place homes would go through a police check before being approved. The program never involves food, bathrooms, or childcare — just a brief safe stop and a phone call if needed.
We want to know:
- Do Norgate residents feel this program would add value to our neighbourhood?
- Would you support creating it here?
- Would you consider volunteering your home as a Safe Place Parent (with background checks)?
- Do you have any concerns or questions?
We want your feedback!
Please share your thoughts by emailing the NPCA at: [email protected] or go to the Norgate Facebook page and drop your thoughts.
What do you think — is the Safe Place Program a good fit for Norgate’s kids?
Would you support launching it in our neighbourhood?
Any suggestions or questions before we explore next steps?
Your input will help us decide whether to move forward.
And don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter, and you’ll be on the list for it as well as notifications regarding the Norgate Annual General Meeting.
Thank you,
On behalf of the Norgate Park Community Association,
Mike Pattenaude
President – NPCA
Norgate Community Association