Neighbour Relations

Our Good Neighbour Pledge

York House works with its neighbours to pursue common goals and to resolve differences in the best interests of the school and neighbourhood.

The school uses a framework, known as the Operations Management Plan (OMP), to guide how it relates to the surrounding community, communicates effectively with its neighbours, and resolves issues. This also includes the school’s transportation management and facilities use plans. The OMP is regularly reviewed and updated as needed by the YHS Board of Governor’s Neighbour Committee.

YHS Board's Neighbour Committee

The YHS Board’s Neighbour Committee (NC) works with a Neighbour Relations Committee (NRC) to communicate school initiatives and activities, as well as hear feedback, questions and concerns from residents. The NRC is composed of up to six residents in the neighbourhood, members of the YHS administration and members of the YHS Board’s NC. Meetings are held twice a year or as needed. They can be requested by the school or residents who are members of the NRC.

Proactive Traffic Management

Recent initiatives such as a communications program started in 2019 to improve awareness in the YHS community of safety and traffic measures and go beyond regular, written communications and verbal reminders by traffic guards, including both parent volunteers and paid, contracted staff.
A series of videos and programs highlighted and rewarded desirable practices, including best ways to be cautious when exiting cars on Granville Street and staying out of laneways and driveways. Watch "Traffic Duty 101" and "Traffic Do's and Don'ts".
Other initiatives include working with the Vancouver Police Department to offer teaching workshops for parents who volunteer to do traffic duty. Parents and guardians who drop off and pick up students are asked to follow this traffic safety plan, which shows a loop and drop off areas.
Future plans include updating a survey of the school community for traffic management purposes. YHS aims to reduce the number of student and staff private vehicle trips by running shuttle services and promoting alternate modes of travel with subsidized bus passes. It also encourages and has seen rising use of other modes such as walking, carpooling, and biking.

Neighbour Concerns

Neighbours are encouraged to contact the YHS Neighbour Liaison on an individual basis with any questions or concerns regarding the school’s operations. Kelly Walker Schobel, Director of Communications and Marketing, can be reached at kwalkerschobel@yorkhouse.ca.

She will receive, record, and respond to the neighbours’ concern as soon as possible or within two days. All neighbours are required to provide their name, home address, email and/or daytime telephone number to the Neighbour Liaison for follow up.

If the concern is regarding an illegally parked car, neighbours are encouraged to report the vehicle directly to the City of Vancouver’s parking enforcement office at 604-257-8727 for prompt action.

If the concern involves a moving vehicle, such one doing an illegal u-turn or speeding, neighbours are encouraged to contact the Vancouver Police Department’s non-emergency line at 604-717-3321.

Documents

Operations Management Plan 2023

With respect, we acknowledge that the land on which we learn, play, and work is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xwməѲkwəyəm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səlílwəta/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.