Vancouver mother presses Park Board for fence near elementary school

A Vancouver parent says she’s frustrated after a long effort to get a fence put up near her child’s school to separate it from a public park.

Rebecca McNeill says that this comes after several concerning incidents outside šxʷwəq̓ʷəθət Crosstown Elementary School, directly adjacent to Andy Livingstone Park, in downtown Vancouver.

McNeill says she knows she’s raising her family in a complex neighbourhood and is teaching her child to view all her neighbours with compassion.

But she believes an 8-year-old shouldn’t have to walk past a dead body to get to math class — something she says happened last week.

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The Vancouver Police Department says it responded to the scene of a sudden death on Columbia Street, which appeared to be an overdose, around 8:30 a.m. on May 27.

The VPD says officers were also called to Crosstown Elementary School in the city’s downtown just before 3 p.m. on November 8, 2024.

When asked about the city’s response to the issue, Vancouver Coun. Lisa Dominato says they are committed to meeting with the parent community as soon as possible.

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“What is important is that we meet with the parents, we hear their specific concerns, and then we will work with our staff to see what we can do to address the different components of those issues,” said Dominato in an interview with 1130 NewsRadio.

McNeill says another concerning incident late last year saw a person pacing back and forth outside the school with a knife.

Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation runs park

“The school grounds were packed with parents and children who were leaving classes for the day,” police said in a statement at the time.

“I actually can’t believe more of the children didn’t see, and luckily, the police came and contained the situation really quickly, but it was clearly an instance where someone was not in their right headspace – didn’t realize where they were,” said McNeill.

Dominato highlights that it is a complex neighborhood with intersecting issues. 

“Obviously, it’s a complicated neighborhood,” she says. “But we have to work together to address those concerns.”

The problem McNeill is up against is that the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation runs the adjacent park, and is the only body — including the school board and city council — that would be able to put up a fence.

“Something as simple as a fence, keeping that very minimum amount of traffic out of the school area, would just provide a little welcome separation and safety.”

Park Board Commissioner Tom Digby says he’s not necessarily opposed to the idea, but he has questions about efficacy.

“People blame the Park Board for not putting up a fence, but I think there’s a question of design there. And would a fence really achieve the needs that the parent is expressing? We want to do everything we can to reduce and minimize, and avoid any risk to children. Of course, in the schoolyard, the question is whether a fence would do the job,” Digby asked.

McNeill says she understands jurisdictional boundaries, but says smart, capable adults should be able to find a solution to what she thinks is a simple problem to fix.

“I know that both the parks and the school boards are occupied with their own agendas, and there’s a lot of politics,” said McNeill.

“And I guess as a parent, as an outsider, my position is, frankly, I don’t care. I just want my kids to be safe, and I want everyone in the community to be able to enjoy the space, feel safe.”

Digby says he will raise the question of a fence at Crosstown Elementary School with the park board on Monday. He made no promises but says if Park Board staff find it to be a significant public safety issue, it could come together over the summer.