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‘Neighbourhood run’ is set for this Saturday

On Saturday, Feb. 19, Vanessa Woznow is running her “NewWest Neighbourhood Run” in support of New West Family Place.

The run – a half-marathon at 21.1 kilometres – takes her through every New Westminster neighbourhood, beginning in the Brow of the Hill and ending at city hall in Queen’s Park.

“I first ran this route four years ago for my birthday because I wanted to do something fun to celebrate,” says Woznow. “This past NewYear’s, I was getting down reading about all of the negative things going on in the world, and I decided it was the perfect time to bring back the run – and this time, fundraise for an important organization close to my heart.”

NewWestminster Family Place is a local nonprofit that welcomes all families, supporting them with services and resources that empower them to thrive.Woznow’s goal is to raise $1,000 for its programs – programs she found invaluable during her first year of motherhood.

“No matter where you are in your parenthood journey, NewWest Family Place is there for you,” saysWoznow. “One time, I had signed up for a virtual play-date with one of their early childhood educators, but my daughter had fallen asleep by the time we had our meeting. I just attended by myself. I was able to both talk frankly about my anxieties and learn some fun finger puppet games to play with my daughter.”

Thanks to some generous social media followers,Woznow has already surpassed her $1,000 goal and will be stretching it, hoping to double it by the weekend. At press time, the campaign had already passed $1,800.

“This run combines two of my favourite things –moving my body outside and raising money and awareness for important community supports in the city I’m lucky enough to call home,” she said. “Plus, what better time of year to do it than the Family Day long weekend?”

Running was important for Woznow before the birth of her daughter, and she now enjoys taking her out on stroller runs all around the city. She doesn’t have a favourite neighbourhood and stresses that each community has its own set of advantages and challenges.

“NewWestminster is a beautiful, brutal and fantastic training partner,” saysWoznow. “No matter where you run, you’ll always be prepared with these hills.”

Anyone wishing to support her run can make a donation to her run at www.tinyurl.com/ NWNeighbourhoodRun. – Chris Campbell

Ready to run: Vanessa Woznow on the steps of New Westminster City Hall. PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

SCHOOLS Mental health struggleshighlighted

JulieMacLellan

jmaclellan@newwestrecord.ca

NewWestminster Secondary School Students are struggling with their mental health – and being in school is making things worse for many of them.

Those were among the findings of a survey presented by the school’s StudentVoice representatives to the NewWestminster school board on Feb. 8.

Among the questions on the StudentVoice survey was: How is school affecting your mental health so far this year?

Of the 309 students who answered, 172 of them said “somewhat negative” and 64 said “extremely negative” – for a total of 56% of respondents.

“I’m sure it comes as no surprise that students are struggling with their mental health this year,” StudentVoice representative MakenaThomas said. “We’re now in our third school year dealing with COVID, and many are feeling very anxious and overwhelmed.”

Part of that comes from the fact that students are now back in the semester system, after a year where the school calendar was divided into quarters with just two classes at a time. As a result,Thomas said, many students are dealing with what feels like a very heavy workload.

For some students, the stress comes from the return to in-person learning after a year of doing studies online. For others, it stems from the move out of the old NWSS and into the new school building with glass-walled classrooms, which is making some students feel more exposed.

“Add on all the anxiety and stress of these uncertain times, and you have some very fragile students who are now faced with more rules and restrictions around when they can eat and when and how many people they can gather with to socialize,” Thomas said, noting the situation has deteriorated further since the survey was sent out in the fall.

“Now with the Omicron variant, it feels like students are getting close to their breaking point.”

StudentVoice representatives have met with school- and district-based administration to discuss the survey findings, and they’re working on strategies to help students with their mental health.

Student Katharine Galloway told trustees about several ideas emerging from those meetings, including having administration provide more information to students about the services available to them.The student group is also working with a representative from the new on-siteWellness Centre at the high school to make sure students know about it and can access the programs and services it offers.

Students have also suggested implementing a more efficient booking system for those needing help from counsellors.

City’s population density second only toVancouver

NewWestminster’s population density has crept up past 5,000 people per square kilometre – eclipsing both Toronto and Montreal and second only toVancouver among the most dense urban areas in Canada.

That finding was part of 2021 census data released by Statistics Canada.

With a population of 78,916 and a land area of just 15.62 square kilometres, NewWest now has 5,052.4 people per square kilometre.

By comparison, Vancouver has 5,749.9, while Canada’s two other biggest cities,Toronto and Montreal, come in at 4,427.8 and 4,833.5, respectively.

NewWestminster’s population is up 11.2% over 2016, when the census showed 70,996 residents. Its 2021 population makes it the 17th-largest city in B.C. and the 77th-largest in Canada.

The city’s population is growing faster than most municipalities in MetroVancouver. Its five-year growth was only eclipsed by both Langleys: the district municipality at 13.1% and the city at 11.9%.

Maple Ridge, at 10.6%, andWhite Rock, at 10.0%, round out the list of the fastest-growing municipalities in the region based on population change from 2016 to 2021. – Julie MacLellan