March Break Activity Registration Starts Today!

Community Announcements

Stay up to date with the latest news, events, and developments from the Queensborough Special Programs Committee (QSPC) and the Queensborough Residents Association (QRA). This page highlights important community updates, important meeting announcements, local projects, and special events so you can stay informed and involved. Whether it’s a neighbourhood celebration, a city initiative, or changes affecting our community, you’ll find the details here.

Queensborough School Bus Campaign

Our Kids Deserve Better: Save the Queensborough School Bus

For many families in Queensborough, the school bus is not a convenience - it is a lifeline.

If the school bus program is defunded, students will be forced to spend 1–1.5 hours each way commuting to New Westminster Secondary School and will need to take two different buses to get to class. That is time taken away from sleep, homework, family, sports, and simply being a youth in Queensborough.

This is not fair.
This is not equitable.
And it puts unnecessary stress on our students.

Anyone who lives in Queensborough knows how unreliable TransLink service can be. Missed connections, delayed buses, and overcrowding are common. When students are late due to transit issues beyond their control, they still face consequences at school. Over time, this creates anxiety, frustration, and a sense of being “behind” before the day even starts.

There are currently 300+ students who rely on this bus. These are our neighbours’ kids, our classmates, our future leaders. They deserve the same access to education as students in other parts of the city, not extra barriers simply because of where they live.

Education and health are deeply connected. The World Health Organization states that supporting children’s education is essential to protecting their long-term health and well-being, and that access to education is a fundamental human right. When students are forced into long, stressful, unreliable commutes, it directly affects their mental health, energy, and ability to succeed.

Research also shows that when transportation is a barrier, students are more likely to miss school, arrive late, and feel disconnected. Safe, reliable transportation is not a luxury; it is a basic requirement for student success and well-being.

Our community has already spoken.
In November 2025, over 1,000 people signed a petition calling for this service to be protected. Yet, months later, the provincial government has still not renewed funding or provided any updates.

We are asking the province for something simple:
Let our kids get to school safely, on time, and without added stress.

Queensborough families should not have to fight for what others already have. Our students deserve better — and we will keep speaking up until they are heard.

Save the Queensborough school bus.

Here's How You Can Help

1) Send an email/letter to Lisa Beare. TEMPLATE

Our Minister of Education and Childcare MLA - Lisa Beare - EMAIL: ECC.Minister@gov.bc.ca

CC: New Westminster MLA - Jennifer Whiteside. - EMAIL: Jennifer.Whiteside.MLA@leg.bc.ca

CC: Premier David Eby - EMAIL: david.eby.MLA@leg.bc.ca

2) Post on Social Media this injustice and tag @Lisa Beare, @Jennifer Whitside, and @David Eby and NDP government. Use hashtags - #QBSchoolBus #stopcuts #Queensborough #FundQB

3) Attend the upcoming Rally - See Details Below - February 4, 2026 at New Westminster Secondary School - 12 - 1 PM

QRA Updates

QRA Meeting Summary - Tuesday September 9, 2025

Topic: Homelessness and Community Safety

The meeting focused on concerns regarding homeless individuals, including some women from Mazarine Lodge (a women’s supportive living program), in the 900 and 800 blocks of Ewen Avenue and on the grounds of the Queensborough Community Centre (QCC).

Community Concerns:

Parents reported feeling unsafe walking their children to elementary and middle schools due to open drug use and aggressive behaviors in public areas.
Residents expressed worries about safety on QCC grounds and surrounding streets.

Updates from Local Services:

City of New Westminster Homelessness Outreach Program (Manager: Nicole O’Connor):
- The Crisis Response Outreach Team visits the Queensborough area almost daily.
- They are present at QCC on Thursdays from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm to assist homeless individuals.

Crisis Response Team (Manager: Shawn Sheehan):

- Community Liaison Officers patrol the QCC area approximately three times per day.
- Concerns can be reported through a single contact number: 604-527-4502, and the team will respond.

NWPD – Inspector Sanjay Kumar:

- Community calls to 911 and the non-emergency line have increased over the past three months.
- When reporting an issue, specify: open drug use in public, threatening behavior, physical aggression, or unsafe activities (e.g., open fires).
- Request a police “call for service” and ask for the assigned file number.
- E-Comm handles 911 and non-emergent calls for multiple municipalities:
  - Non-emergent line: 604-525-5411

Social Planning – John Stark:

- Interested in supporting the community to develop solutions that increase public safety.

Mazarine Lodge – E. Fry (Bonnie Moraiaty, Manager; Heather Lynch, Director):

- Mazarine Lodge houses up to 44 at-risk women.
- The Lodge is reviewing community concerns raised by its clients.

Proposed Solutions:

Remove the bus shelter in front of Mazarine Lodge.
Reestablish an advisory committee at Mazarine Lodge to review community concerns.
Encourage residents to call NWPD (911 or non-emergency) to report safety concerns, which raises awareness of local issues.
Contact Homeless Outreach workers and Community Liaison Officers to alert the City to problems in the area.

Attachments:

Two documents (below) providing details about the Crisis Response Pilot Project for further context.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse