Student Police Academy Returns + NWFM Survey 2025

Issue #435

Author

Carla McNeil
December 04, 2025

Inside the New West Spotlight

 🌧️ Weather - Light Rain

 😜 Rain Joke - What’s a rain’s favorite game?🎲🧩

 🔦 Business Spotlight - Oru Kutty Community

 🗓️ New West Events - Is it just me or is the calendar getting busier?

 💝 You’re So Sweet - Thank you, Kirsty H.!

 🗞️ New West Local News - Student Police Academy Returns + NWFM Survey 2025

 📧 Did someone forward you our New West Spotlight? You can Subscribe Here!

New Westminster is full of people who quietly make the city feel safe, connected, and a little more human. One of them is Jofin Peter, the founder of Oru Kutty Community Society, a doula and educator whose work has already touched families across the region. She doesn’t have a storefront or a studio. Instead, she meets parents where they are—sometimes in their homes, sometimes at Wildfires Bookshop, and often in their most tender moments.

Her goal is simple but powerful: help parents feel okay during one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. For many in New Westminster, that reassurance is priceless. Through Oru Kutty Community, often called OK Community, Joefin blends practical support with emotional care in a way that feels like sitting down with someone who truly sees you.

The Story Behind the Business

The seeds of Oru Kutty Community were planted long before the business had a name. Joefin grew up in Surrey, BC, yet her path to doula work traces back to a hospital in India where, at just 13, she volunteered under an obstetrician-gynecologist. There, she learned how culturally specific care can transform a mother’s experience. Practical help mattered more than vague advice. Rest looked different for every family. And supporting someone meant supporting their whole context.

When she returned to Canada, she saw firsthand how overwhelming the health-care system could be for newcomers—especially pregnant people unsure of when or how to seek help. So she explained, translated, reassured, and held space long before she ever knew the word “doula.”

Years later, after studying biology, psychology, and sexual health education, she realized her lifelong instinct to help had a name and a profession behind it. Today, she brings all those pieces together—her education, her lived experience, and her deep empathy—to support families of every background.

Joefin moved to New Westminster after surviving domestic violence and seeking a community where she could rebuild safely. She found calm near 22nd Street Station, where accessibility, quiet, and a sense of belonging made it possible to start fresh. “New Westminster felt safe for me,” she shared. That feeling became the foundation of her work.

Oru Kutty Community offers a wide spectrum of services that meet people long before pregnancy and after birth. Parents can book sexual health education, fertility support, childbirth education, labor and birth support, and postpartum doula care. Because her training includes miscarriage, stillbirth, and abortion support, Joefin also holds space for families facing loss—a service many don’t know how to ask for, but deeply need.

Her approach is grounded in what she calls “PIES”: practical, informational, emotional, and social support. Some days that means teaching a parent how to track fertility. Other days it means folding laundry or offering. For Indigenous clients, she also works through the Doula for Aboriginal Families grant program, which provides up to $1,200 in support.

Beyond direct care, Joefin created Canada’s first Reproductive Violence Reporting Mechanism, a multilingual, accessible tool that gives voice to those who’ve been mistreated within reproductive care settings. It’s a project rooted in her experience working on support lines and her commitment to trauma-informed practice.

New Westminster didn’t just become home—it shaped how Oru Kutty Community operates. Living close to Royal Columbian Hospital and BC Women’s allows Joefin to reach families quickly when they need her. She appreciates how the city connects her to the wider region, letting her serve parents from Richmond to Surrey without feeling stretched thin.

She also chose to work out of Wildfires Bookshop because of its queer-affirming values. For her, alignment matters. “Everyone under the sun is equal,” she believes, and she wants her work to reflect that in every interaction. Check out the class schedule HERE.

As a member of the Chamber of Commerce and a regular contributor to community networks, she’s woven herself into the city’s fabric. Whether supporting young moms, newcomers, or long-time residents, she sees New Westminster as a place where small businesses genuinely make life better.

Joefin describes doulas as “a paid friend,” someone there for a parent’s head, heart and hands. It’s a simple explanation for a job that requires enormous skill. What sets her apart is the way she bridges worlds—science and spirituality, culture and modern health care, intuition and training. She calls herself a mermaid because she lives between many identities, and that balance helps her understand families whose needs don’t fit into neat categories.

Her work is grounded in non-judgment, accessibility, and the belief that it’s never too late to ask for help. She meets people exactly where they are and helps them take the next step with confidence.

For New Westminster families looking for support through fertility, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, or loss, Oru Kutty Community offers a steady hand and a warm heart. Joefin also provides free consultations, making it easy for parents to explore what kind of care feels right for them.

From heartfelt service to inclusive care, Oru Kutty Community continues to nurture connections across New Westminster.


📞 604-726-7992
📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://10oclockjoefi.com

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Thank you, Kirsty - you’re awesome!

Local New Westminster Weather

Historical Records for Today - Record high 10.5 2023 - Record low -5.6 2022

Check out all of our local New Westminster Events

December 04, 2025

⛸️ Parent and Tot Skate at Moody Park – 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM

👶 Babytime (0-12 months) – 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM

🍼 Baby Social (0-23 months) – 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM

📝 Resume Clinic with BCNSP – 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM

🍅 Farmers Market – 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

🤝 New West Business Winter Social – 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM

📚️ Drop-in Wildfires Bookshop – 5:45 PM

❄️ 2025 Winter Solstice Exhibition: Opening Reception – 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

🎨 Printmaking: Wrapping Paper at təməsew̓txʷ – 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM

🎙️ Georgie's Local Karaoke Night – 7:00 PM

🎙️ The Terminal Pub Colossal Thursdays Karaoke – 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

🎤 Notorious Grey Fox Open Mic Jam – 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM

🧘 Healing Gong Bath - New Westminster – 7:45 PM to 8:45 PM

🎄 Holiday Sip & Stroll Scavenger Hunt – Downtown Neighbourhood

December 05, 2025

👶 Babytime (0-12 months) – 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM

🍼 Baby Social (0-23 months) – 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM

🗣️ English Conversation Circles – Friday Sessions – 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

🛍️ Holiday 2025 Play & Shop (4-Days of Mini Market) – 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM

📖 French Reading Buddies (6-9 years) – 4:00 PM to 4:45 PM

🤸 Open House for Fit on 6th – 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM

🎄 Ladies’ Night: Parol Making at The Cove! – 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

🎲 Friendsday Night Board Games – 6:00 PM to 11:30 PM

🎨 Brush Hour Paint Night - Bearly Keeping Up – 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

🎲 Howe Sound Hitmix Bingo – 7:00 PM

🍸️ Cocktails and Conjuring at Flapper Lounge – 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

🎙️ Weekly Karaoke Every Friday – 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM

🎸 Live Music at The Terminal - Mike Van Eyes – 8:30 PM to 11:30 PM

🎙️ Notorious Grey Fox Karaoke Friday Nights – 9:00 PM until Close

🎄 Holiday Sip & Stroll Scavenger Hunt – Downtown Neighbourhood

December 06, 2025

🗣️ Spanish Conversation Drop-in – 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

🗣️ English Conversation Circles – Saturday Sessions – 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM

☃️ Winter Market at Queensborough Community Centre – 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM

💃 Future Flow - Battle at Sapperton Hall – 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM

🎁 New West Craft Holiday Markets at River Market – 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM

🛍️ Merry and Makers Market at Shops at New West – 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM

🎅 Santa Photos at Royal City Centre Mall – 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM

🧶 Place-threading (collective embroidery) – 12:00 AM to 3:00 PM

🎄 Holiday at Irving House – 12:00 AM to 4:00 PM

🤣 New West Improv's Comedy Jam! – 5:15 PM to 6:45 PM

📸 New West Xmas Lights - A Photo Walk – 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

🕺 Saturday Dance Party at Georgie's – 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM

❄️ S&O Holiday Market at the Brewery – Steel and Oak

🎄 Holiday Sip & Stroll Scavenger Hunt – Downtown Neighbourhood

🕹️ Fighting Game Night – Phantom Alley

If you have an event you would like us to list please CLICK HERE.

The New Westminster Police Department is now accepting applications from motivated students aged 16–18 who are interested in exploring a future career in policing.

This unique program offers an inside look at the many roles within the NWPD, including hands-on learning, interactive demonstrations, and opportunities to meet the officers who serve our community. Participants will gain valuable insight into investigative work, frontline policing, specialized units, and what it truly means to protect and serve.

If you or someone you know is curious about a career in law enforcement, this is an excellent opportunity to learn, ask questions, and build meaningful experience.

The 2025 season at the New West Farmers Market is wrapping up, and organizers are turning to the community to help shape an even better year ahead. With another vibrant season of fresh produce, local makers, live music, and bustling Thursday afternoons behind us, the market team wants to know what you loved—and what you’d love to see next.

Shoppers are invited to take a few minutes to complete the annual customer survey, which will guide new ideas, improvements, and vendor selections for the 2026 season. Everyone who participates can opt into a draw for $50 in Market Money, usable at any New West Farmers Market vendor, whether during the regular season or at the festive Holiday Market on December 13 and 14, held outside New Westminster City Hall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Market organizers say community voices have been essential to the market’s growth, helping shape everything from entertainment to layout—and they’re eager to hear what will inspire next year’s market experience. After a season filled with loyal shoppers and enthusiastic vendors, the team is asking residents to share their thoughts and keep the momentum going for 2026.

⛈️ Rain Joke of the Day 🌧️ 

🌧️ What’s a rain’s favorite game?🎲🧩

Drip and drop!💧⬇️

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