City council discusses a plan to lower crime in Thunder Bay.
The Community Safety and Well Being plan was brought forward and would be put into effect until 2025.
The plan lists six issues in the city it will look to improve over the next four years:
- Racism & Discrimination
- Housing
- Mental Health & Substance Abuse
- Community Violence & Gender Based Violence
- Poverty Reduction & Financial Empowerment
- Support for Children, Youth & Families
Coordinator of the Crime Prevention Council, Lee-Ann Chevrette, says the racism problem is significant in the city.
“Priority one is racism and discrimination. Impacts of racism and discrimination were identified consistently in our engagement sessions as one of the greatest issues facing our community,” explains Chevrette. “We heard loudly and clearly that addressing racism and discrimination, both interpersonal and systemic, would make a significant positive impact on the well being of all Thunder Bay residents.”
One of the other focuses in the plan, housing, is an issue found to disproportionately affect the Indigenous community in the city.
Recent data shows that around two-third of homeless in the city self-identify as Indigenous.
The plan is looking to reduce homelessness in this population by 50 per cent by 2027, and will be working in collaboration with various supports and services throughout Thunder Bay, including the Indigenous Community Advisory Board.
Mayor Bill Mauro addressed the third priority in the plan, discussing the mental health and drug abuse occurring in the city.
“We know the data on mental health and addiction and how it has effected northern communities. We have seen increases from 2019 to 2020. It speaks to the collective challenges we have,” said Mauro.
Thunder Bay has seen massive increases in opioid overdoses over the past 15 years. The rate of hospital visits from an overdose increased from 32.9 per 100,000 people in 2005 to 53.4 per 100,000 people in 2016.
The conversation turned to crimes committed by individuals who do not live in the city, which led to At Large Councillor Aldo Ruberto voicing his frustration with the situation.
“What the community doesn’t understand, and I don’t understand myself, is how people are allowed to come up here from southern Ontario with no address here, commit crimes upon crimes, get caught, get released over and over again,” stressed Ruberto. “I feel for the police, I feel for the agencies dealing with this when the damage to our community is billions of dollars in the long run.”
Part of the plan will also focus on academic support, specifically ensuring Thunder Bay youth are graduating high school.
The plan will be assessed again in 2025.
