Author Archives: Kristina Dyk

Happy Pride Week! Since 2017, the VPD has had a full-time officer dedicated to the LGBTQ2S+ community. Cst. Dale Quiring met with us this week to explain a little more about this multi-faceted role. First and foremost, it’s about building relationships and building bridges with the community – connecting with people on social media, opening […]...

Cst. Terry Parmar is no stranger to youth programming. When he was younger, he started to hang out with people who were having a negative influence on him. His dad, who was a janitor at Hastings Community Centre, pushed him into volunteering there. This was in the late 90s. Terry met a youth worker named […]...

One of the Foundation’s greatest strengths is its Board of Trustees. From day one, the Board has sought to recruit the city’s leading business, community and philanthropic leaders. One of the newest Board members, Christian Chia, President & CEO of Open Road Auto Group, is one such example. Christian brings immense expertise in strategy, marketing […]...

In recognition of National Indigenous People’s Day, we’d like to showcase the Pulling Together Canoe Journey. This year would have been the 20th year of this incredible program, which brings together Indigenous Peoples and members of the public service in a ten-day journey along the traditional waterways of British Columbia. The canoe was envisioned as […]...

Detective Constable Karen Szeto is a VPD investigator specializing in human trafficking crimes. The tragic images of people crammed into containers or refrigerated trucks are actually images of human smuggling. Human trafficking is the specific act of exploiting people, particularly in the sex trade. And it happens right here. One of the most frightening and […]...

Cst. John Gravengard, recently featured in VPD’s celebration of Asian Heritage month, is no stranger to the Vancouver Police Foundation or to going above and beyond to help others. He has been the recipient of a number of VPF grants for troubled or at-risk youth, most recently for basketball camps and a program to support […]...

Hiba Al Odat, along with her mother and two younger brothers, arrived in Vancouver on a typical winter night (rainy and cold!). Their long journey to Canada started in Syria three years earlier. While they had a good life there, the escalation of the war made life dangerous and bleak. They left for Jordan, which […]...

Our last update on the amazing Community Champions that continue to show their support, respect and appreciation for the VPD officers on the #frontline of the pandemic was nearly a month ago! We’ve been so busy receiving and distributing donations since then we’re a bit behind giving this huge shout out of thanks. Sarah and […]...

Each year, people like you help the Vancouver Police Foundation provide $1 million in funding to support Vancouver Police Department initiatives that are above and beyond the regular operating budget. Seed funding, to get programs up and running, or to provide proof of concept, has helped programs like Project 529, BC Women in Law Enforcement, […]...

Whether it’s a global health pandemic, a years-long opioid crisis, protests, Olympics, global terrorism, human trafficking, cybercrime, fraud and more, the officers of the Vancouver Police Department are dedicated to keeping Vancouver safe and thriving. These men and women regularly put themselves in danger to keep the rest of us safe. While we are generally […]...