Bright Moments Connect Our Elders  –

Hastings Sunrise has more than its share of seniors – and they have a new opportunity to meet, learn and socialize.

According to the 2016 Census, 17.5 per cent of our community are seniors aged 65 and up, compared with a city-wide average of 15.5 per cent.

The new program is Bright Moments, a friendly and informative seniors outreach program offered by the Hastings branch, Vancouver Public Library, in partnership with the Hastings Sunrise Community Policing Centre (HSCPC). Bright Moments events are held monthly alternating between the HSCPC boardroom and the Hastings Library community room.

Julia McKnight, branch head at the Hastings library, says it offers seniors greater learning experiences by connecting them to specific library programs and supporting their need for information about health, digital literacy, safety and cyber (internet) security. The March 8 event at the library featured dialogue on pedestrian safety by Vancouver Police Constable Holly Christie, a former neighbourhood police officer. The group of about 20 seniors socialized over light food, tea and coffee.

To recognize International Women’s Day, five-year volunteer Lily made colourful flowered bookmarks for all. Lily is an excellent greeter as well – always near the entrance, ready to greet and welcome.

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Shredding Day // May 3rd @ 10 AM to 1 PM  –

Mark your calendars everyone! Our popular Shredding Day fundraiser, in cooperation with the Hastings North Business Improvement Association and RecordXpress, will be back on Saturday, May 3rd from 10 AM to 1 PM in the Hastings Sunrise parking lot (2500 Franklin Street). 

The suggested donation is $10 per box and all proceeds go to the Hastings Sunrise Community Policing Centre to keep our community safe and thriving!

Shredding Day is a great opportunity to safely dispose of personal documents that are no longer needed. RecordXpress will be on site that day to securely destroy your documents. 

Distracted Driving Awareness Month  –

The month of March is focused on ICBC’s  Distracted Driving campaign to raise awareness and educate British Columbians on the importance of safe and focused driving.

Distracted driving continues to be a major issue in B.C., and a leading cause of fatal crashes.

Police across B.C. will be ramping up enforcement throughout March, and we will be working with ICBC and our volunteers to set up Cell Watch deployments to remind drivers to leave their phones alone.

Tips to stay safe on the road:

• Driving requires your full attention, so set yourself up for zero distractions before you start driving.
• Turn off your phone or enable “do not disturb” mode before you start driving. This minimizes distractions and helps you focus on the road. Also consider turning on “silent mode” or “do not disturb”.
• Keep your phone out of sight and out of mind. Store it in a closed glove box or centre console before you start driving.
• Plan your route in advance. Program your GPS and review directions before you start driving. If you need to adjust your route, pull over. 
• Travel safe by planning ahead. Set realistic travel times and be mindful of how traffic and delays may impact your plan.

Non-emergency Calls Made Easier  –

911 calls are your lifeline to reach police, fire or ambulance. In 2023, people in British Columbia called that number 2,342,892 times!

Less dramatic – but still important – are the calls made to non-emergency lines, and those calls have now been made easier for callers in Hastings Sunrise and across the Lower Mainland and Sea to Sky region.

A new interactive software system has been launched by E-Comm, the agency that handles 911 calls here. Callers to non-emergency have more options when they call during peak hours of 7 am to 9pm:

• Estimated wait times are now provided
• Callers can request a call back instead of waiting on hold
• Call takers can send police file numbers to callers via SMS text.

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Thank you, Dine-for-Safety Dinner Supporters!  –

More than $12,000 was raised at our 5th annual Dine-for-Safety Dinner, held Oct. 22 at Tamam Restaurant.

All funds will go toward providing crime prevention and safety programs to Hastings Sunrise residents and businesses.

Forty companies and individuals supported the event. Guests enjoyed delicious food, a silent auction and a live auction, all in a good cause!

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Community Safety is an All-ages Event  –

Like any family, our Hastings Sunrise CPC family works best with a mix of generations. The energy of our younger volunteers is balanced with the wisdom and life experience of our elders.

We invite you to meet three of our valued volunteers – retired from their careers but still happy to help make their community safer, cleaner and more liveable.

Lily Gee was a public librarian for 40 years. She was also vice-president of her family cleaning business, and worked at many historic sporting events, including the 2010 Olympics women’s ice hockey gold medal game, the men’s final, and the last game of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs.

These days she enjoys her garden, photography, and quality time with family and friends.

But Lily is not one to take it easy. For years she has diligently supported other seniors through her local neighbourhood house. In 2019 she joined the HSCPC as a volunteer.

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Peacemakers Practice for 2025 Launch  –

Hastings Sunrise is one step closer to becoming a Restorative Neighbourhood. Since it was chosen as the first seedbed for the initiative, as part of Vancouver becoming a Restorative City, many things have progressed to make this vision a reality.

Sixteen peacemakers from the three lead organizations – Hastings Sunrise Community Policing Centre (HSCPC), Frog Hollow Neighbourhood House and Peace of the Circle – have gone through almost 50 hours of extensive training, consisting of modules on communications and conflict resolution, trauma informed practices and peace circles. “The training addresses complex trauma, and how facilitators work with it using Indigenous approaches that are body centred and land based,” says Norm Leech, executive director at Frog Hollow, who delivered the second training module.

Another training on facilitating peace circles will take place in November when Dr. Evelyn Zellerer (Peace of the Circle) and Gillian Lindquist (Restorative Justice Victoria) will do a deeper dive into the intricacies of resolving conflict by being in Circle together.

Peacemakers are currently practicing their skills by facilitating dialogue circles. All of the Circles are being debriefed with the peacemaker cohort so that everyone benefits from the learnings. The goal is for every peacemaker to have facilitated at least three dialogue circles so that they are ready to take on more difficult cases that involve conflict by the end of the year.

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Scam Prevention Tips  –

Phone scammers want to steal your personal information and, eventually, your money! Don’t let them! Here’s how:

Protect sensitive information: Avoid giving out your Social Insurance Number (SIN), banking information, passwords, birth dates, family names and associations. Shred your personal and sensitive printed documents at the annual HSCPC Shredding Day which is held the first Saturday in May every year.

Never send money to strangers: Scammers may ask you to buy gift, store or Visa cash cards and tell them the card numbers. If you are unsure, call a friend or trusted neighbour instead and tell them about the call.

Beware of “urgent” or “free:” If a caller wants you to act urgently, be wary. Also beware of “free” trip offers that usually involve revealing personal and sensitive information.

Who are you? When a stranger asks for information or money, ask for details of their company or organization. Then look up the phone number online and ask them to mail you information.

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Partners Help You Block Out Crime  –

Your community policing centre and Block Watch are stepping up their partnership!

These two community safety initiatives have supported each other for many years, but new training modules jointly developed should make both even more effective. Online sessions for new Block Watch members began in July.

Here’s why you should care: A healthy Block Watch means less local crime. Neighbours learn how to spot crime, or criminal activity in the making. They learn when and how to report it. As a bonus, they get to know one another better, and their block becomes a better place to live.

Leah Marlay, Block Watch administrator since 2008, is retiring this year after helping the program grow to 400 groups and 8,000 members across the city.

“I am so excited about this opportunity,” she says. “It’s a perfect fit. To quote HSCPC’s Clair MacGougan, ‘CPCs are really Block Watch on steroids.’  CPCs will be able to use Block Watch to bring even more neighbourhoods together in safety.” 

“Citizens who start or join a Block Watch do it for two reasons.  One, unfortunately, is that they were the victim of crime or they notice a spike in crime in their neighbourhood.  And, two, it’s a great way to meet your neighbours.  When neighbours know each other and have been Block Watch trained, it’s easier to recognize suspicious or criminal activity.”

Continue reading “Partners Help You Block Out Crime” →

ICBC Pedestrian Safety Campaign  –

Continue reading “ICBC Pedestrian Safety Campaign” →

September Provincial Distracted Driving Campaign  –

ICBC has launched the September Distracted Driving campaign to raise awareness and educate British Columbians on the importance of safe and focused driving.

Distracted and inattentive driving is one of the leading contributing factors in fatal car crashes in B.C. On average, distraction is a factor in 5,788 police-reported injuries and 78 deaths each year.

Police will be looking for distracted drivers throughout the province this month. Cell Watch volunteers will also be roadside reminding drivers to leave their phones alone.

Tips to keep everyone safe on the road:

• Turn off your phone or notifications. Consider turning on “silent mode” or “do not disturb” when you first get into the car.
• Keep your phone out of sight and out of mind. Put it in a closed glove box or centre console before you start driving.
• Know where to go before you drive. Program your GPS before you start driving and pull over if you need to update directions.
• Driving will always require your full attention so set yourself up for zero distractions before you start driving.
• Travel safe by planning ahead. Set realistic travel time and be mindful of rush hours and delays.

Continue reading “September Provincial Distracted Driving Campaign” →

Free Movies in the Parks  –

KUNG FU PANDA

Friday, Aug 16, 8pm

Sunrise Park

Trivia: This film marks the first time that Po refers to himself as the “Kung Fu Panda”. (IMDb.com)

CIRCUS WEST PERFORMANCE 7pm

TROLLS BAND TOGETHER 7:45pm

Saturday, Sept. 7

Pandora Park

Trivia: While Velvet’s speaking voice is provided by Amy Schumer, her singing voice is provided by Brianna Mazzola. (IMDb.com)    

Meet Today’s Sunrise Safety Team!  –

Local residents and business owners have likely interacted with our staff members in blue.

While their uniform and mandate has stayed the same, you may have noticed several new faces on the Sunrise Safety Team (SST). Initiated in 2008, SST is a joint program between the Hastings Sunrise Community Policing Centre (HSCPC) and Hastings North Business Improvement Association (HNBIA). It was established to address crime and safety concerns in the East Village Business District.

“Our businesses really value SST and their ability to provide resources to our community,” says Patricia Barnes, executive director at the HNBIA. The program is also supported by the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) and City of Vancouver.

Abby, Jenny, Kajol, Kimberley, Vanika and Cole currently make up the team. They contribute to the overall safety of the business district through proactive initiatives, including building strong relationships with merchants, property owners, customers, visitors and local residents.

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Former Board President Remembers Challenges of Centre’s Early Years  –

By Michael McKinley (Former board member and HSCPC President 2002 – 2005)

I became involved with the Hastings Sunrise CPC for the noblest of reasons: property. My wife Nancy and I had just bought a house in Hastings Sunrise, and we wanted to make sure that our house prospered.

We had moved here from the West End, and before that, Toronto, and before that all over the place, but I had grown up in Marpole Oakridge and did not know Hastings Sunrise very well, except that I had passed through it to go the PNE as a kid, and to Hastings Park to learn how to lose money on the horses with my dad, but we loved the poetry of the name. It was where the sun came up. The start of a new day, and so, the start of our new life in this interesting and dynamic neighborhood as a new millennium ticked over.

I have not lived in Hastings Sunrise since 2009, but I can imagine how much it has changed given how change happens in cities, and especially in ones like Vancouver. In the year 2000, it was a community of people who had lived there a long time, and were fully invested in its success, and people who were passing through. And people like us, who had just planted our flag and wanted it to fly in the right direction. Former Board President Remembers Challenges of Centre’s Early Years

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Meet The Bulletin Team  –

Did you know that this newsletter has been published for 20 years now? All the stories about the Hastings Sunrise neighbourhood, the HSCPC and its partners would not have been told without our beloved team members Chester Grant and Harry Mah!

When Chester retired as a journalist in 2004, he joined the HSCPC and soon became its board president. He then encouraged neighbour Harry, who helps to operate the iconic family-run McGill Grocery, to volunteer as a board member too. Eventually, both joined the newsletter team.

“It was a no-brainer for me,” says Clair MacGougan, who became executive director in 2002. “Chester brought 50 years of experience in writing and broadcasting while Harry was the editor of the Burrardview News at the time.”

Continue reading “Meet The Bulletin Team” →