COVID-19 has delayed a planned initiative from Regina Police.

At a Board of Police Commissioners meeting this week, Corporal Jacy Windjack explained that plans for a Safe Place program which would aid Regina’s gender and sexually diverse community are still in place and that the only thing left to accomplish is training before it can be rolled out.

Windjack says the program is very similar to the Block Parent program.

“What happens is businesses make a pledge essentially to be respectful and inclusive and that their business is a safe place for anybody to come.” Windjack said. If there happened to be someone from the gender and sexual diverse community that felt unsafe, say, walking downtown, they would see a Safe Place sticker on a business, and would know that that is a place that they can go to call police and stay.”

Once training with businesses involved is complete the program will begin, but Windjack says she can not give a date as for when that will be because of the pandemic.