Residents of Pembroke, Ontario, may notice a new handshake symbol painted on select parking spaces outside the Pembroke Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) station on International Drive. These marked spots are part of Project Safe Trade, an initiative designed to provide safer, public locations for in-person exchanges of items bought or sold online. The handshake symbol identifies community safety zones where buyers and sellers can meet in a well-lit, monitored environment.

As online marketplaces continue to grow, these spaces help reduce the risks that can come with meeting strangers in private homes or isolated areas. The zones are located at local OPP detachments and are available 24 hours a day, with no appointment or registration required. Project Safe Trade was introduced by the Upper Ottawa Valley OPP to encourage residents to complete online transactions in visible, neutral locations.

Officials say the program is especially timely during periods when online and secondhand sales increase, such as the holiday season. While officers do not supervise individual exchanges, their nearby presence allows for a quicker response if a situation becomes unsafe or illegal.

Police also remind residents to follow basic safety tips when meeting for online transactions. Choosing busy, well-lit locations, bringing a friend, meeting during daylight hours, and keeping records of messages and agreements can all help protect both buyers and sellers. Together, these precautions and the new handshake-marked parking spaces aim to make online buying and selling safer, more convenient, and more confident for the community.