Parent Safety Program and North York Children=s Safety Village

 The North York Community Council reports having endorsed the following two programs and recommends that:

 (1)Council give consideration and appropriate support to the Parent Safety Program and the Children's Safety Village; and

 (2)Canada Lands be requested to incorporate in their lands a provision for a Children's Safety Village.

 The North York Community Council reports having requested:

 (a)staff to identify potential sites that may be utilized for a Safety Village, based on the information contained in the presentation by Police Constable Torrence;

 (b)staff to provide assistance to 31 Division with negotiating any agreements with potential site owners, including representatives of the Federal and Provincial Governments should there be government-owned sites available; and

 (c)service clubs in the former City of North York to assist in this initiative.

 The North York Community Council heard a presentation from Police Constable Talbot Torrence, Badge No. 6271, Toronto Police, 31 Division, with respect to the subject programs.

 The North York Community Council submits the following information regarding the two subject programs:

 Parent Safety Program

 The Parent Safety Program was started in Edmonton, Alberta by a group comprised of all areas of the community. It is a co-operative effort shared by the community members, police, schools and city. The goal of the program is to encourage non-confrontational solutions to school safety concerns.

 The mission statement of the program is >We will assist and encourage the community to provide a safe environment by choosing safety over convenience=.

 The program objectives are:

 -to promote community-based partnerships which encourage non-confrontational solutions to provide a safe school environment;

 -to encourage and support the school=s implementation of the parent safety program; and

 -to evaluate the effectiveness of the Parent Safety Program by measuring the change towards safer behaviour.

 This program has been implemented in London, Ontario and is sponsored by the Canadian Automobile Association in Ontario. At the time of writing there are approximately half of the City of London=s Schools participating in the program. Scarborough is currently experimenting with the program and has pilot programs initiated at three schools. The goal of four schools participating before the end of the current school year is hoped to be achieved. Funding for the program in the Scarborough area has been through the federal government.

 In the 31 Division area we have two schools in each of old North York and York areas who have been identified as suitable for running a pilot of the program. The North York schools are Derrydown Public School and St. Fidelis Separate School. A traffic study at these locations has been scheduled by Toronto Roads North York Branch.

 There is a city-wide release of the Parent Safety Program scheduled for the fall of 1998. This is intended to be a uniform program across the City of Toronto. We are presently involved in an enforcement program in the school areas and when this program has been mentioned there has been a strong interest shown by the schools.

 North York Children=s Safety Village

 A Safety Village is an educational centre specifically designed for students from the elementary grades where the students receive classroom instruction and have the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge in a safe environment. It is an innovative community project aimed at reducing preventable traffic accidents and enhancing the education of older students in the area of drug awareness. The idea for the North York Children=s Safety Village evolved from a discussion on children=s safety and how 31 Division could enhance partnerships within their own community.

 Preliminary investigation into existing Villages as well as those presently in the planning stage have provided invaluable information on land acquisition, funding, curriculum and how to see the project from the initial stages through to fruition.

 The North York Children=s Safety Village would be a non-profit organization with registered charitable tax status. The Village would be completely funded and maintained through community donations.

 Presently there are 90 elementary schools, 20 middle schools and 8 junior high schools within the North York Board of Education. In addition, there are 49 elementary schools within the Separate Board, 8 schools within the Board of Jewish Education, 3 Christian Schools and 2 elementary schools within >3 District= which fall under the Toronto Board of Education for a total of 180 schools. If we were to incorporate the 77 schools within 2 District, this would result in a grand total of 257 schools within North-West Field Command.

 While at the Safety Village, students are given classroom instruction immediately followed by hands on training in a controlled and secure environment. The philosophy behind the Scarborough Children=s Safety Village is >tell me and I=ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I will understand=. This philosophy would be carried through to the North York Children=s Safety Village and as such, is a win-win situation.

 During the summer months, the Safety Village could also be used as a day camp and classroom space could be made available to community organizations such as Brownies, Girl Guides, Scouts or other groups. The facility could also be used by service organizations who are providing the funding for donation as well as elder abuse seminars and traffic safety.

 There are presently four existing Safety Villages in Ontario - Durham, Peel, Halton and Waterloo. In the planning stages are the Scarborough and York Region Villages.

 Scarborough Children=s Safety Village

 The City of Scarborough donated three acres of land on McCowan Road south of Eglinton Avenue and construction is due to commence during the summer of 1998 with the grand opening in December 1998. This will be the first fully enclosed Safety Village with maximum accommodation for students and an estimated cost of approximately four million dollars.

 Peel Children=s Safety Village

 The Peel Children=s Safety Village was launched in 1994 and consists of two classrooms and a Safety Village on approximately 2.2 acres of land situated at Highway 410 and Steeles Avenue West in Brampton.

 Halton Police Children=s Safety Village

 The Halton Police Children=s Safety Village is located on Bronte Road north of the QEW in Oakville. It has been in existence for 11 years and as such is one of the oldest. It is much smaller in comparison to the existing Villages.

 The North York Children=s Safety Village would be beneficial to the children and establish a valuable and permanent partnership with members of the community. The total land required would be 3-4 acres.

 Interactive learning through practical application in a safe environment will assist the students in absorbing the new material. It gives the children the opportunity to enjoy themselves and interact with uniform police officers while providing them with the necessary safety tools they need to grow up safely in our community.

 As a non-profit organization built by the community for the community, everyone wins, especially the children.