Beware of Distraction Thieves  –

Seniors in Hastings Sunrise, and across Greater Vancouver, continue to be targets of organized criminals. They will strike up conversations on the street and then steal jewelry, money or other valuables. Often, the victim doesn’t notice the theft until the thieves have gone, usually by car.

More of these distraction thefts occur in summer, when more people are outdoors, walking or tending to their front yards. The thieves are part of organized crime rings — Canadian citizens and foreign nationals — that criss-cross Canada in rental vehicles, staying in a city for a week or two before moving on.

Here are some scenarios, courtesy of the Vancouver Police Department’s website:

A person approaches you and starts touching you. They may grab your arms or wrists, or give you a hug. You may be surprised by this behaviour, and during the encounter you might not notice the thief removing your jewelry or valuables.

A person approaches you, possibly trying to overwhelm you with fast, loud, and enthusiastic talking. They show you fake jewelry, placing it on your neck or wrists, removing your authentic jewelry and leaving you with the fake pieces.

Someone stops you and asks you for help. They may want directions or ask where the closest hospital is. They might say they need money urgently and offer to sell you their jewelry for cash. The jewelry ends up being fake.

Continue reading “Beware of Distraction Thieves” →

Electric Scooters: Ride Safely!  –

The popularity of electric scooters has taken off in Vancouver, including in Hastings Sunrise.

They feature software connectivity to a smart phone providing a digital dashboard. They can charge quickly and travel more than 50 kilometers on a charge, operating quietly with small, powerful electric motors.

Unlike the non-electric scooters of our youth, they are larger, faster (up to 28 kph), and easy to access at stations around the city.

They are easy to rent or buy, fun to ride and handy for short trips. But they can be dangerous – even deadly.

Injuries to riders more than doubled in 2025-26, according to Children’s Hospital, and more than half involved children aged 13 to 15, below BC’s legal riding age of 16. One rider, a 30-year-old woman, died after she collided with a vehicle July 3. She was not wearing a helmet. Others have been hit by e-scooters.

To riders: Before heading out, learn your e-scooter’s capability and features. Then ride safely.

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Volunteering – It’s A Family Affair!  –

Carol’s memories of the Hastings Sunrise Community Policing Centre (HSCPC) go all the way to back to when she was a child coming out for “Trick or Treat” on Hastings Street and getting candy from costumed volunteers at the HSCPC.

Fast forward to 2022, Carol is in her last year of studying criminology and looking to get more experience related to her degree when she starts to volunteer in the HSCPC’s front office.

“I have lived in Hastings Sunrise forever and I knew that many of my classmates volunteered at the HSCPC as well, so it was an obvious choice for me,” says Carol. She became a cherished volunteer in the street front office and attended many outreach events.

“I have fond memories of going to Hopehill, a seniors’ residence, to deliver monthly crime prevention presentations. One time a theft occurred in one of the local businesses and a knife was found shortly after, which was a scary but very memorable experience,” adds Carol.

Carol and her sisters Jenny and Mabel are self-described homebodies. When they gathered around the dinner table with their parents and little brother, Carol would tell stories about what had happened during her volunteer shift that day. Before Carol stopped volunteering with the HSCPC, she made sure to pass the torch to Jenny who at that time was trying to figure out her career path but knew that she wanted to work with people and get more life experience.

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Legacy Mural Brightens The Way  –

Walking down the entryway to our Hastings Sunrise CPC has always been a path toward community safety – but now it’s also a joyous floral experience that can brighten your spirits.

Thanks to a bequest from Yasmina, a former HSCPC board member, the concrete wall flanking Tamam restaurant has become a gorgeous and colourful mural, 54 feet of welcoming vibrancy.

Yasmina included our centre in her will, asking us to use the money for community projects. She liked the mural idea, and helped to design it before she passed.

“She wanted it to involve nature,” says Clair MacGougan, executive director, “so she chose flowers that symbolize indigenous lands, and her native Morocco – and a sunrise!

“And she wanted an up-and-coming artist to be involved. From a list of candidates she selected Andrew McGuire.

“She wanted the key ingredients to be hope, diversity/inclusion and connection/ love. She lived long enough to approve the design,” says Clair.

Andrew’s design was tweaked by the CPC, the East Village BIA and Tamam, working with Yasmina.

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September is Distracted Driving Month!  –

• Distracted driving is the second‑leading contributing factor in all police‑reported fatal crashes, following speeding.
• Distracted driving contributes to 80 people being killed and 4,833 people being injured each year in B.C.
• 37% of all police-reported injury crashes involve distracted driving.
• 39% of distracted driving related crashes occur at intersections.
• Males account for 61% of distracted drivers in police-reported crashes.

Find more information here:

https://icbc.com/road-safety/crashes-happen/distracted-driving

Trash Tally Tops 10,000 Bags!  –

Picture a mountain of street litter, enough to fill over 10,000 garbage bags. That’s how much debris has been collected from roadsides and public property in Hastings Sunrise since volunteer community cleanup crews began in the early 2000s.

Last year, 39 volunteers and 94 community participants picked up 436 bags of trash at 42 events, bringing the totals to:

10,117 bags of trash

507 cleanup events

699 volunteers and

3,497 community participants

You are invited to join your neighbours who are making a difference at the regular cleanup events, held on many Saturdays throughout the year. The Hastings Sunrise Community Policing Centre supplies bags, tongs, gloves and high-visibility vests.

Continue reading “Trash Tally Tops 10,000 Bags!” →

A Volunteer’s Journey: From Cleanups to AI  –

Many immigrants who are looking for better opportunities choose Canada for its high quality of life, economic stability and a welcoming, diverse society.

Bin, who has been volunteering with the Hastings Sunrise Community Policing Centre (HSCPC) since October, is no exception. Hailing from Shanghai, China, the 45-year-old IT consultant moved to Canada last September with his wife and daughter to enjoy a calmer and quieter lifestyle.

“Shanghai is a very busy city where people feel a lot of pressure to be successful and earn money, and we had very little time to spend on activities that we enjoy,” says Bin.

When Bin and his family moved to Hastings Sunrise, he noticed the HSCPC’s sandwich board sign on the street and applied to volunteer right away.

“It is really important to me to learn about the local culture and to give back to the community that has welcomed us,” explains Bin. “Being part of Canadian society allows us to enjoy all the freedoms that come with it, and in my opinion volunteering is the best way to contribute.”

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PNE Welcomes World Football Fans –

For 28 days in June and July, Hastings Sunrise will be part of the world’s largest sports spectacle – FIFA World Cup 2026!

The family-friendly FIFA Fan Zone at Hastings Park will draw up to 25,000 fans of football (or soccer, as it is known in North America) daily to watch match broadcasts and participate in fan activities throughout the venue.

Just like at PNE Fair times, neighbours can expect extra traffic, noise and temporary closures or limited access at some public spaces on site, such as the Hastings Skateboard Park, the Sanctuary, Momiji Gardens and the Italian Gardens, starting in late May.

But they can also enjoy free viewing at large screens throughout the site. There’s shelter from the weather – sun or rain! – at the new world-class Freedom Mobile Arch, a covered open-air amphitheatre with soaring mass-timber roof designed to provide vista views and cover for up to 10,000 at a time.

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It’s Time To Shred Your Documents  –

Shredding Day is coming: Saturday, May 2nd, 2026 // 10 AM to 1 PM @2500 Franklin Street (Sunrise Parking Lot)

Dispose of your sensitive work documents, old tax filings and tax slips, credit card statements, utility and municipal bills so nobody can use your information for identity theft.

Our volunteers will help unload documents into bins which are then lifted onto the shredding truck. All documents are destroyed on site before the RecordXpress truck leaves the Sunrise Square parking lot.

The Shredding Day event is hosted in partnership with the East Village BIA and RecordXpress.
We ask for a donation of $10 per box, to help fund HSCPC programs.

• Charles Godwin
• Coast Therapy
• Columbus Meats
• Dave Stevenson
• Eatery Sushi Restaurant
• Ebs Ice Cream
• Fairmont Waterfront
• Gord Clendenning
• Hapa Izakaya
• Harry Wong
• Kidtropolis
• M. Cooke
• Michael O’Brien
• Middlechild Coffee
• Northland Group

• Denny’s
• Moxies
• Chop House
• Moorestock Outfitters
• Painted Boat Resort Spa and Marina
• Penelope Sparrow
• Predator Ridge Golf Resort
• Rebecca Campbell, Musqueam
• Robyn Sparrow
• Sechelt Inn
• Stanley Park Horse Drawn Tours
• Sunshine Coast Golf and Country Club
• Taylor Guerin
• Tommy Luong

.

Pedestrian Safety for Kids!  –

Know the rules. Learn traffic signs and their meaning. Always follow the rules.

Listen. Put away all electronic gadgets and earbuds while walking. You can hear approaching traffic that may be hard to see.

Look both ways. Make sure all vehicles have stopped before crossing the road. Make eye contact with drivers before crossing, even when you have a walk signal.

Map it out. Plan your walking route with your parents before you go. Review street names and landmarks.

Be seen. Wear bright clothes and/or reflective gear, especially at night and in poor weather.

Parked vehicles. Avoid shortcuts through parking lots or around parked cars. It’s harder for people to see you and for you to see them.

Set a good example. Never run across the street. When you can, cross at intersections with a pedestrian crossing light or marked crosswalk.

Continue reading “Pedestrian Safety for Kids!” →

Gathering Our Journeys Across Borders: A Community Circle of Immigrant Stories & Holiday Grief Circle–

The Hastings Sunrise Community Policing Centre is hosting two dialogue circles in collaboration with Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House, Peace of the Circle and Vancouver Public Library.

Both circles will be facilitated by peacemakers from Restorative City Vancouver and held at the Vancouver Public Library Hastings branch (2674 East Hastings Street). For more information, and to register, please contact Nina at ninak@hscpc.com or call 604-717-3584.

Refreshments will be served at both events! Please see posters for details. 

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Meet our 1000th Volunteer!  –

 Say hello to Chloe! She’s just become the 1000th person to join our volunteer team – we’re so thrilled to have you!

To our newest volunteer, and the 999 before her: through your dedication, hard work, and passion, you’ve helped us make real, lasting change in the Hastings-Sunrise community and beyond. 

If you, or someone you know, is interested in volunteering with us, please register for one of our upcoming information sessions. You can find more information here: https://hastingssunrisecpc.com/volunteer/

Volunteers from Around the World  –

Did you know that the Hastings Sunrise Community Policing Centre (HSCPC) has more than 100 volunteers?  Among them, they speak 23 different languages and come from many countries and backgrounds with a wealth of skills and ambitions.

Many came to Canada to seek better opportunities and pursue their dreams, something that Canadians may take for granted, but was unattainable for some of the HSCPC’s volunteers in their home countries.

Fahima, 21, found her way to the HSCPC last year after attending the Vancouver Police Department’s (VPD) New Kids Police Academy and then joining the VPD Cadet program. She has also been awarded the green belt in police judo! Fahima completed an associate certificate in Business at BCIT and will enter the Law Enforcement Studies program at the Justice Institute of BC this fall.

 Fahima came to Canada in 2020 with her parents and seven siblings after her native Kabul, Afghanistan, had grown increasingly unsafe, especially for girls and women. Her father, a human rights activist who had worked for the United Nations, had come to Canada in 2017 seeking safety for his family with the threat of the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban regaining power.

 Fahima always knew that that she wanted to be a police officer, but one event consolidated her decision: “When I was 12, a suicide bomber attacked the all-girls school I attended, and the Special Forces came to our rescue. It was right then and there that I decided that I wanted to do something equally meaningful with my life. I didn’t want to be just a survivor, but to actually live,” says Fahima. Volunteering with the HSCPC and being part of its Sunrise Safety Team is a stepping stone to becoming a VPD police officer. When she’s not working or volunteering at the HSCPC, Fahima also works as a security officer at a casino and assists VPD with role-play scenarios to train police constables.

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Justice Institute: A Valued Partner  –

If you have been to any outreach events this summer in the Hastings Sunrise neighbourhood, there is a good chance that you chatted with our practicum students Ravleen and Brendan, both enrolled in the Law Enforcement Studies Program at the Justice Institute of BC (JIBC). The Hastings Sunrise Community Policing Centre (HSCPC) has been collaborating with the JIBC for many years, and mentoring practicum students each summer is just one part of it.

It is crucially important for both partners to help students learn more about social issues, equity and diversity and help them enter communities as leaders, especially if they want to pursue a law enforcement career. Enter Community Integrated Learning, an approach that focuses on the needs and desires identified by the community in which the students work. To make the summer practicum an experience for students that fosters connection and understanding while also ensuring reciprocity and longevity for both the program and the local neighbourhood, the JIBC has received a three-year grant from the College and Community Social Innovation Fund. The goal is to deepen the collaboration between community partners and JIBC to make the Law Enforcement Studies Program a hands-on experience that enriches students’ personal and professional development journeys and makes them more empathetic and capable leaders and role models.

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