NAIT’s Safe Walk program aims to improve safety on campus
By Brianna Boucher on December 17, 2025
As the fall semester comes to a close, final exams begin. Students and instructors are spending more time on campus, often walking to their cars, bus stops or the LRT late at night.
NAIT’s Safe Walk program aims to help students, staff and faculty feel safe while travelling to their destinations. NAIT Protective Services says it’s seeing an increase in staff and students using their Safe Walk program.
“Over the last three months, we’ve seen an increase during the winter months as exams approach,” said Neil Purkess, with NAIT Protective Services. “It tends to rise because it gets darker earlier, and people are staying late to study for exams or finish final assignments, so they’re on campus later than they normally would.”
NAIT’s Safe Walk program is free for all NAIT students, staff and faculty. The program is available on NAIT’s main, Souch, Patricia and Spruce Grove campuses.
The Safe Walk program offers both physical and virtual options, including Friend Walk, which sends your location to a trusted friend, allowing them to track your progress until you arrive at your destination.
“Through the NAIT Alert app, there are two options. The first is a virtual safe walk, and that would send a message to our dispatcher here at NAIT Protective Services, and they would essentially monitor the walk on a screen, and there’s an option if you are concerned partway through the walk to alert us and have an officer respond,” said Purkess.
NAIT’s Safe Walk program is available 24/7 through the NAIT Alert app. Safe Walk can also be accessed by emailing or calling NAIT Protective Services.
“There have been a few times when I’ve been on campus past 11 p.m. working on assignments and studying,” said Josh Thebe, NAIT student. “I park in a parkade five minutes away from where I study, and I use the NAIT Alert app and the virtual Safe Walk.”
The physical version of Safe Walk allows students, instructors and faculty to have a security guard or peace officer escort them to their destination, whether that be to their car, parking garage, bus stop or LRT.
The virtual version monitors your trip remotely to make sure you arrive safely at your destination and provides assistance if you get disconnected.
“I used Safe Walk a few times during finals season, and it was a lot better than having to run to my vehicle, and I felt a lot safer knowing that someone had my location in case something happened,” said Thebe.
NAIT’s Safe Walk program has been around for many years to help students, instructors and staff feel safe on campus. The virtual Safe Walk feature launched in 2018 to further enhance campus safety.
“The ultimate goal of the program is for people to feel safe on campus when they’re travelling to and from. Whether it’s to their car, the LRT or walking home. The program includes both physical Safe Walks and a virtual component through the NAIT Alert app,” said Purkess.
To book a Safe Walk on any of NAIT’s campuses, call protective services at 780.471.7477 or send an email to protectiveservices@nait.ca with your name, current location and destination.