Two visitors from the Inje University in Busan, South Korea, arrived in Squamish on Tuesday (Feb. 8) and got a crash course in how to become a "safe community" from a number of locals.
It was a full day of activity for Dr. Jeongyee Bae and her co-researcher Yoon Hyo Bae, who started the day visiting the local RCMP detachment. Armed with local guide Michael Park and translator Christina Jung, the duo admitted to being amazed by the "wonderful" along the Sea to Sky Highway. They noted that it was much more beautiful than the tunnels they are used to in South Korea.
Yoon Hyo also admitted to being an admirer of the RCMP uniform and its history.
"I think the RCMP is a very positive image for children," he said. "It's a very beautiful tradition that Canada has."
Led by Staff Sgt. Guy Pollock, the delegation was given a tour of the facilities and also had an opportunity to ask questions about how Squamish deals with crime on a local level.
From there, they travelled to the office of Sea to Sky Community Services, learning about the "Communities that Care" initiative. They followed that with lunch at the Howe Sound Brew Pub and then a trip to the senior's centre before proceeding to Quest University.
Kristine Day, Squamish bylaw and animal control supervisor who helped organize the day, said the group toured the school and discussed potential recruiting possibilities.
"I thought the entire day went really well," Day said.
"They were very appreciative and impressed with what we have here in Squamish," said the RCMP's Kathryn Hennigar. "We want to keep this partnership going and despite our differences, we have a lot to learn from each other."
Squamish was officially designated British Columbia's fourth and Canada's 60th Safe Community in November 2010.
Safe Communities Canada is a community-driven injury prevention charity whose mission is to make Canada the safest place in the world to live, learn, work and play.
For more information on the Safe Communities initiative, visit www.safecommunities.ca.
