North Park Neighbourhood Association

North Park Neighbourhood Association

PO Box 661 #185-911 Yates Street Victoria BC Canada V8Y 4Y9 npna@npna.ca

North Park Safety And Security Issues

As part of our efforts to make the North Park area an even better place to live we have engaged in a process of mapping areas of illegal activities that don't belong in our neighbourhood. We need your help to let us know where these activities are taking place and in turn we will provide details to the police. This will assist the police in directing their resources to hotspots and curtailing illegal activities. Contact us by email at npna@npna.ca and we will add your information.

Reporting Non-emergency Crimes to the Victoria Police
To report crimes of a less serious nature than those requiring a 911 call - you can call the Victoria Police Department at (250) 995 - 7654 or use the online reporting feature https://www.vicpd.ca/citizenreport/new_webfiles/index.htm If there is any risk of injury or a crime is in progress please call 911.

Needle Exchange Re-Location - The On and Off Phenomena
The NPNA is very closely watching the situation - as well we are well into the process of strategizing our approach.

Currently the Needle Exchange has closed on Commorant St. effective May 31, 2008 - as an appropriate physical location could not be found it will operate as an extended mobile operation.

The NPNA feels that any further discussion of any form of a needle exchange requires extensive neighbourhood input including development of a Good Neighbour Agreement in full cooperation of the Neighbourhood groups rather than just being permited comment on a unilaterally developed agreement. We have found this approach works very well and have had good experience with it including the one we help put in place for the Dowler St. Shelter.
Dowler St. Good Neighbour Agreement

Victoria City Police - Crime Watch Volunteers:
The Crime Watch Volunteers are active in the neighbourhood in support of the "Lock Out Crime" program. These volunteers dressed in red coats will be checking vehicles for security and leaving yellow tickets with suggestions for improvement. As well the Crime Watch Volunteers are engaged in other programs to help make the neighbourhood a better place. If you would like to help they are looking for more people - please consider it.

Here is a link to more important information about this program and other programs for crime prevention.
Victoria Police Volunteers - Crime Watch Program

City Amends Hours in Parks Bylaw Regulating Overhead Shelter
Last week, in recognition of longer daylight hours and increased activity in parks, City Council amended the hours and locations where temporary overhead shelters can be used.

Effective Saturday, March 7, 2009, the amendment allows temporary shelters in City parks between the hours of 8 p.m. – 7 a.m. in areas that are not playgrounds, walkways, programmed areas, Bastion Square, and now, environmentally sensitive. The previous hours were 7 p.m. – 7 a.m.

Environmentally sensitive areas were identified in a number of parks by parks staff. Under the amendment, all of Moss Street Park, Summit Park and Cecelia Cove Park are protected. The Garry Oak stands in Topaz park and Robert Porter Park are protected, and several areas of Beacon Hill Park are protected. Staff will develop an education program that will include signage and maps.

City Council Adopts Seven Immediate Strategic Priorities
City Council has identified seven priorities for the coming months representing the issues Council wants to see immediate action on. The seven priorities focus on homelessness; affordable housing; council decision making; public communication; harm reduction; infrastructure; and downtown late night issues.

“Council has worked as a team to analyze a number of pressing community issues with the goal of identifying real, sustainable solutions,” said Mayor Dean Fortin. “It’s critical that the community understand what Council is focusing on so they know what to expect as we move forward.”

Mayor Fortin added, “We’ve hit the ground running in these first months. Already we’ve introduced a number of programs that will help us advance the priorities we’ve set, including the secondary suite grant incentive program, relaxed zoning for secondary suites, and tax exemptions for affordable housing developments.”

In two weeks, Council will hold a full day planning session to finalize the long-term strategic plan for the three year term of Council. This plan will be shared broadly with the community and will contain short and long term performance measures that will guide City operations for the coming years.

In more detail, Council's seven key priorities for the next three-six months are:

1. Homelessness
Council’s top priority. Everyone who needs a home and support should have one.
*Continue working with the Greater Victoria Coalition to End Homelessness and community partners on identifying opportunities and service gaps
*Explore funding opportunities with other levels of government
*Continue to facilitate current projects underway – Humboldt Valley, Ellice Street

2. Affordable Housing
Victoria will be a community of mixed-use, mixed income neighbourhoods with a vacancy rate higher than 4%.
*Launch secondary suite grant incentive program and adapted zoning regulations
*Pursue tax incentives for strategic affordable housing initiatives
*Expedite municipal approvals for affordable/social housing projects

3. Enhance Council Decision Making - Governance
Enhance decision-making process and governance model to achieve meaningful input on community issues.
*Introduce new governance model
4. Enhanced Communications
Enhance communications with the residents and businesses in the City and Region to make information easier to access and understand, and provide more opportunities for citizens to provide input and participate in City initiatives.
*Develop a public engagement strategy - a toolkit for effective public engagement on a variety of issues and initiatives
*Produce newsletter three times per year for all Victoria residents
*Redevelop City’s website
*Pursue options for web streaming Council meetings
5. Harm Reduction
Improve the overall health and safety of community. Advance substantial progress – not displace problems.
*Pursue distributed needle exchange model to address immediate health risks
*Consider findings of VIHA-led committees on locations for fixed sites
*Advocate for increased detox and treatment services in the Region
6. Quality Core Service Delivery –Infrastructure
Prioritize opportunities, funding and urgency of projects. Provide quality services now and for future generations
*Determine immediate infrastructure priorities in 20 year capital plan
*Create Department of Sustainability and Finalize Sustainability Framework
*Submit project request to federal and provincial government
7. Downtown Late Night Nuisances
Work with key stakeholders to identify strategies to support a robust and vibrant economy and ensure people are safe downtown
*Strike Downtown Late Night Task Force
*Determine design and technical feasibility for public urinals

New Service Sponsored by the Victoria Emergency Management Agency
The City of Victoria is pleased to offer a weekly Emergency Preparedness E-Bulletin. To sign up for this new service visit the VEMA website at preparevictoria.ca and click on the "Weekly Emergency Preparedness E-bulletin".

Each week, an E-Bulletin will contain:

an emergency preparedness tip
a list of upcoming local events such as emergency preparedness displays, presentations, training opportunities, etc.

This free service is for general information only. It is not an emergency notification system.
If you have any problems using this service, e-mail us at vema@victoria.ca or call (250) 920-3373.

Please feel free to pass this information along to members of your organization, neighbours, and other members of the public.
In time we will have a full revamp of the VEMA website. In the meantime, feel free to take advantage of this new information sharing service.
The change of season is upon us. Now is the time to start to ready your home and business for the changing weather such as wind and rain events. You may want to consider some of the following:

Secure your lawn furniture or items on your balcony from the wind. This may mean tying it down, covering it, or bringing it inside a building. This reduces the chance of injury or damage due to flying objects on windy days.
If you live in a house check your eves and make sure that rainwater can properly drain off your roof. Similarly, you may want to check the drainage system for any clogs.

Take these simple steps to stay safe and to reduce damage caused by weather events. For more ideas on personal preparedness please visit www.preparevictoria.ca

H1N1 News:
For those of you looking for more information on H1N1 please visit the Vancouver Island Health Authority website at www.viha.ca
This website has a wide variety of H1N1 related information useful for you as an individual or for use in the workplace. Click on the H1N1 link off the main page. Check back often as new information is added regularly.

Emergency Preparedness E-Bulletin

Victoria Emergency Management Agency

Week of November 9, 2009

Just how serious is the earthquake threat? Did you know that scientists estimate that the probability of a damaging earthquake affecting this region in our lifetime is 30%. At first glance that does not seem too serious. To put this into perspective lets compare that to other things we plan for in society:

Risk of dying from a heart attack…20%
Risk of dying from cancer…14%
Risk of dying from the flu…1.58%
Risk of dying in a car accident…1.19%

It is important to note that the 30% number above is not the chance of dying in an earthquake, but rather the chance of a damaging earthquake occurring in our lifetime in this region.

Why is this significant?
A 30% probability of a damaging earthquake is not a number to ignore. Most buildings in our region were not built to modern building codes. The chance of cracks, wall damage, damage to plumbing and electrical systems, and other damage is moderate to high. This could mean that the building you are in is not habitable after the earthquake until it is repaired.
Did you know that approximately 70% of damage in an earthquake is non-structural? This is important because it means you have a great deal of control over how your space, and the things in, will do in an earthquake. Consider conducting a home or work place hazard hunt and secure any items that can move and hit you in an earthquake.

For more ideas on conducting a Hazard Hunt visit the link below and go to page 25. http://www.victoria.ca/cityhall/pdfs/departments_vepnei_ind_allhazards.pdf

Emergency Preparedness E-Bulletin

Victoria Emergency Management Agency

Week of November 21, 2009

December 26, 2004 - Boxing Day, is the date of one of the worst recorded natural disasters in modern history. An estimated 230,000 people died and hundreds of thousands more lost their homes, their livelihood, and everything they knew.

This week marks the 5 year anniversary since this massive and tragic event occurred. It is a good time to remind you of what our tsunami risk is here in Victoria and where you can find more resources on it. We have sent out reminders about tsunamis in the past, but due to the continued curiosity and questions we felt it was worth repeating.

Tsunami's do not happen along this coast very often, but damaging tsunamis along the coast have been recorded on average about once every ten years, with more frequent intervals not that uncommon. It is a hazard that we must take seriously.

Here are some tips:

If you feel an earthquake that lasts longer than 60 seconds, or the shaking is so strong that it is difficult to stand, assume that a Tsunami has been created. Move to higher ground. In Victoria this often means a short walk within a block of your home. You have between 60 and 90 minutes until the first tsunami sea level rise occurs. Based on today's best available science, the sea level rise is likely to be no greater than 1.2 meters (4 feet). See the tsunami planning map at this link: http://www.victoria.ca/cityhall/pdfs/departments_veptsn_victoria.pdf
If you see the ocean suddenly recede (like a very fast low tide), or if the ocean seems to be rising faster than the tides normally cause, assume that a tsunami may have been generated and move to higher ground.
Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes under the ocean. Generally an earthquake needs to be M7 or larger for a tsunami to be created and spread to distant locations.
Small tsunami's of less than 20 cm can occur due to earthquakes in far away locations. These are locations that are far enough away that we would not feel the earthquake here in Victoria (Alaska, California, Japan). In this case people on beaches and some harbours should take note. Thankfully, we have several hours warning before these tsunamis impact us.
If you are in a very flat location and there is no high ground (not common in the area around Victoria), move to a higher floor in any nearby building.
If a tsunami is suspected, or of you are told to leave your home due to a tsunami warning, please help those that may need it.
Make sure to take your Grab and Go kit, with AM/FM radio and batteries. Listen to the radio for instructions on when it is safe to return home. It may take several hours to get the "all clear" news. Tsunamis are not just one wave. There can be several "rise and fall" cycles of the sea water spread over several hours.

A few Do Not's:

Do not go to the ocean edge to "watch the wave"
Do not drive to distant high locations to escape. This is dangerous and is not needed. Often walking one block away from the ocean is all that is needed.
Do not ignore the warnings from emergency officials. They are designed to save your life.

Remember, tsunami's are caused by earthquakes. Be prepared for an earthquake. Know how to Drop, Cover, Hold. Have an emergency kit at home and another at work or in your car. For an excellent local pamphlet on tsunami's and what to do to be prepared, visit this website: http://www.victoria.ca/cityhall/pdfs/departments_veptsn_brchr.pdf Hard copies can be found at the fire hall at 1234 Yates Street. They include a copy of the tsunami planning map. For more information on how to get your family "emergency prepared" please download a Recipe for Disaster card, or visit the fire hall at 1234 Yates to get a hard copy. Link to the Recipe Card: http://www.victoria.ca/cityhall/vema-recipe.shtml

Emergency Preparedness E-Bulletin

Victoria Emergency Management Agency

Week of December 7, 2009

Have you had your power go out this year? With winter weather often comes wind, snow, ice and downed trees. These can all lead to power outages.

BC Hydro maintains an excellent resource page with a variety of tips on how to be prepared for a power outage at home. The link to that page is here: http://www.bchydro.com/news/power_outages/home_outages.html

Here are some simple things you can do now to be prepared for a power outage:

Make a list of important phone numbers that you may need to call in a power outage or emergency. Include your major utilities like BC Hydro, your phone provider and your gas provider.

Another note about phones:

Telephones are very important safety devices - know how to make yours function in a power outage.

Emergency Preparedness E-Bulletin Victoria Emergency Management Agency Week of January 11, 2010

The incredible power and life changing effects of earthquakes have been in the news the last few days. An earthquake in northern California a few days ago and a large earthquake in Haiti today are reminders of what earthquakes can do. Many people we talk to think of earthquakes as things that impact people in other areas of the world. The long time period between earthquakes, combined with their unpredictable nature, often give us a sense that we really do not have to worry. Scientists who study earthquakes remind us that we live in an area that has earthquakes. As emergency planners we encourage all residents to be "emergency prepared". Are you?

Can you answer these questions with a "yes"?

1. Have you talked to your family about emergency preparedness?
2. Do you have a supply of food, water, first aid equipment, and other emergency supplies all gathered in an accessible location (bags, totes, etc.) for ease of use?
3. Do you have a pre-designated meeting place - a place where you can meet your family members if your home is not accessible following the emergency?
4. Do you know if you live in a "tsunami planning zone"?
5. Have you attended an emergency preparedness workshop and learned how to be emergency prepared?
6. Have you talked to your neighbours, friends, co-workers or extended family and asked them if you can work together to help one another before, during and after an earthquake?
If you answered "yes" to all of these - well done! If not, we suggest that you do a bit more work on being prepared. Attending an emergency preparedness workshop is a great first step.
Emergency Preparedness Workshops:
Our next Emergency Preparedness Workshop will be on Wednesday, January 27th, from 7pm to 9pm at the Oaklands Community Centre. Registration is required. Call us at 250-920-3373 or e-mail to vema@victoria.ca

Volunteer Opportunities:
For more information about volunteering with the Victoria Emergency Management Agency please visit our website at www.preparevictoria.ca for more details.

Emergency Preparedness E-Bulletin Victoria Emergency Management Agency Week of January 18, 2010

With the recent catastrophe in Haiti we here in VEMA have had several inquiries about earthquake preparedness. The most common questions are:

1. What do I do during the shaking? The simple answer here in BC is: Drop, Cover, Hold. What does it mean?

Drop: As soon as you realize an earthquake is happening, drop to the ground in as controlled a way as you can. Earthquakes can throw you to the ground, so the sooner you get to the ground the more likely you will be able to remain in control of your actions.

Cover: Look for an object to help protect your body. Tables, chairs and desks all make good shields from falling objects. All sorts of things can move around an injure you during and immediately after the shaking, so protect yourself from these items by covering.

Hold: Hold onto the object so it does not move away from you. Keep covered until after the shaking has stopped and then stay put for 60 seconds. This allows any objects that were set in motion by the shaking to stop moving.

Some people have asked about an alternative set of options. Here are a few websites to help you make up your mind if you are thinking that the alternate method is what you want to do.

PEP (we advocate this method) http://www.pep.bc.ca/hazard_preparedness/Drop_Cover_Hold.pdf

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_of_Life

American Red Cross Response: http://www2.bpaonline.org/Emergencyprep/arc-on-doug-copp.html

In BC we recommend Drop, Cover, Hold.

2. Where do I buy an emergency preparedness kit? Most first aid supply stores, some general purpose hardware stores, and some pharmacies sell kits. You can create your own quite easily. For ideas on how to do that visit these pages:

Recipe for Disaster: http://www.victoria.ca/cityhall/vema-recipe.shtml

All Hazards Workbook http://www.victoria.ca/cityhall/pdfs/departments_vepnei_ind_allhazards.pdf

Emergency Preparedness E-Bulletin

Victoria Emergency Management Agency

Week of February 8, 2010

Another question has come in from our readers:
“What buildings are most at risk in an earthquake? What are the differences between small wood frame buildings and tall concrete high rises?”
The following information has been compiled from various sources, including conversations with engineers who study what buildings do in an earthquake.
There are several factors that influence how the building you are in will do in a damaging earthquake. Some of these are:

The soil type
The direction of the earthquake wave energy
The depth of the earthquake at the epicentre
The magnitude of the earthquake
The type of earthquake (e.g. crustal, subduction, etc.)
The building construction.
The duration of the earthquake.

The softer the soil the building is built on, the more likely the energy from an earthquake will be amplified, which in turn causes more damage. About 50% of Victoria is on soil types that are relatively soft. Rock, in most cases, is expected to not amplify the earthquakes energy as much as soft soil, which suggests this is the better material to be built on.
The direction from which the wave energy comes from will also play a role in how your building does in an earthquake. The deeper the earthquake the farther the earthquake’s energy has to travel, which means less damage than a shallower earthquake. Wood frame buildings are thought to be versatile due to the inherent flexibility of wood. Full collapse of small structures is not expected in most cases. Older homes (pre-1970’s) may not be bolted to the foundation. This means that even in a moderate earthquake the home can be damaged as it “jiggles” off the foundation. This is a preventable occurrence if the home has been bolted to its foundation.

Older concrete buildings do not have as much steel reinforcement in them as modern construction. There is a concern that older concrete buildings will not fair as well as modern buildings in some earthquakes. This could mean a higher than average number of concrete buildings closed following an earthquake. Modern concrete and steel buildings are built to modern code and are expected to do ok in most earthquake scenarios.

Older unreinforced brick buildings are not expected to do well in any large damaging earthquake. Parapets (the edge of the roof area) and tall chimneys are expected to receive damage. In larger earthquakes some walls will collapse, and other damage may occur.

It is important to remember that the building code is designed to save lives, not make a building earthquake proof. In some cases damage will occur to the systems or structure of a building, forcing it to close in the medium to long term.

Tall buildings typically experience the same earthquake differently on each floor. People on some floors will say they hardly felt the quake, while others will talk about an incredible event with lots of shaking just one or two floors higher or lower. This is related to the wave energy affecting the building at different frequencies.

Generally, smaller wood frame buildings will do better in a sub-duction zone earthquake (the magnitude 8-9 generated in the fault off Vancouver Island.) than will larger buildings. These megathrust earthquakes create wave energy through the earth that have a long wave length. Generally, this means that large buildings with a large footprint do not do as well as smaller buildings with a smaller foot print. The larger building can have the two parts of the wave energy impacting different parts of the building at the same time, which causes the damage.

Generally, shorter duration, shallow crustal earthquakes damage small buildings more than larger ones. This is because the shaking is violent and rapid. These earthquakes cause rapid violent shaking. The Megathrust Cascadia subduction zone earthquake will cause more of a rolling type of shaking. Some people may even feel sea sick in this type of quake.

Most damage (up to 70%) will be non-structural. This includes furniture, windows, piping, electrical systems, ceiling tiles, etc.

It is not possible to predict exactly how each and every building will do in an earthquake. The above information is general in nature and may not directly apply to the building you are in.

The best advise we have is:

know the risks associated with earthquakes
take steps in advance to bolt down furniture, filing cabinets, book cases, etc. Apply protective film to windows. Tie down hot water tanks. Bolt your home to its foundation. Keep curtains and blinds closed at night as these reduce the risk of flying glass. Consider stringer latches on kitchen cabinets.
Consider what you will do during an earthquake. We recommend Drop, Cover, Hold.
Talk to your family about how to reunite after an earthquake
Take an emergency preparedness workshop

Our next emeregncypreparedness workshop is on March 10th, 7pm to 9pm. E-mail vema@victoria.ca to sign up.

Do you have an emergency preparedness question? Send it in and we will do our best to answer it.

Feel free to share these E-Bulletins with others.

Robert Johns
Emergency Coordinator
Victoria Emergency Management Agency, 1234 Yates St., Victoria, B.C., V8V 3M8, 250-920-3355 (voice), 250-920-3370 (Fax), rjohns@victoria.ca

Results from the March 14 2007 Safety Forum:

On March 14, 2007 North Park residents came out to share with each other the struggles they have faced with regard to the many safety issues that are of concern in our neighbourhood. If you have any questions or concerns about safety, never hesitate to contact us at npna@npna.ca.

Results of the Forum are here - Forum Results

NPNA meets with organizations to clean up used needles:

The NPNA has met with two organizations that have offered to come and clean up used needles in our neighbourhood. The agencies both respond on a call-by-call basis, so if you find a needle in your yard, parking lot, or on the street, you can call one of these numbers and someone will be sent to clean it up.

The organizations are:
VARCS Mobile X: Monday-Friday, 9am-2:45pm. Call 888-4487
SOLID: Wednesday- Sunday, 7:30am-9:30am and 5:30pm-7:30pm. Call 298-9497.

VIHA Releases Needle Exchange Review Report!:
Here are the main points:

The review was external, meaning it came from outside VIHA and AVI
VIHA has committed an additional $125,000 to support the action plan developed from the review
Goals of the action plan: improve public order, promote client and staff safety, develop standards and agency collaboration, and formalize
Immediate steps include developing protocols for behavior in and and around the needle exchange, increasing the number of sites for exchanging needles, including foot and mobile exchange options, and identifying and developing drop-in centre options for the homeless in the late afternoon and evening hours as an alternative to gathering on the streets.

Needle Exchange Review Report details here!

Tips From Neighbourhood Watch on Theft From Vehicles:
Vehicle Crime Why Bother? Dealing with myths and reality
Are you familiar with any of these attitudes?

My car was broken into outside my house and my insurance premium has doubled but what can I do?
We know vehicle crime is high in our area – but what can we do?
Vehicle crime is a police problem – they need to do something about it.
My car is an “old banger” and will never get stolen.
Cars are stolen by professionals and “if they want it, they will get it anyway”

In fact most car thefts are carried out by opportunists and you can deter them. Also old vehicles without the immobilizers are the most popular targets.

Keep it safe, keep it hidden, keep it locked – let’s keep crime down
Don’t leave your handbag or clothes such as coats on display in your car
Don’t leave your mobile phone on display in your car.
Don’t leave your car engine running or the keys in the ignition

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