Headlines from the past is a recurring feature looking back at stories we've covered over the past 40+ years.
For 20 years, the red and white sign of a young boy reaching up to grasp the hand of an adult displayed in the window of a Port Moody home was a symbol of refuge and safety for kids heading to and from school.
But in February 2005, volunteers for the Port Moody Block Parent program were being asked to turn in their signs to their local elementary school or the police department.
The program was coming to an end.
Evelyn Wembly, the treasurer for the BC Block Parent Society that was based in Surrey, said the program was going through a transition and local programs would need to be re-certified.
That meant volunteers would have to learn new techniques on training and safety for children and they’d all have to go through a police screening.
Port Moody coordinator Marcilla Powell said it was too much for the local group’s 380 volunteers. She said some were no longer bothering to even put the signs in their windows.
“Why bother doing any of the work if you can’t see any of the results,” Powell said.
She said the increasing trend of parents driving their kids to schools, or kids walking in groups, had rendered the Block Parent program almost irrelevant.
The Tri-City News has covered civic affairs, local crime, festivals, events, personalities, sports and arts in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody since 1983. Bound back issues of the paper are available at the Coquitlam Archives, while digital versions of several past years can be found at issuu.com.
