More of us are concerned about crime and safety, according to the city’s latest Citizen Satisfaction Survey.
Ipsos polled 500 people and found those were the most important issues for 44% per cent of us.
Spokesperson Diana MacDonald told city council last night that ratings of perceived safety have been on the decline in recent years.
The survey found only 58 per cent feel safe walking in their neighbourhood alone after dark, down from 65 per cent in 2017.
80 per cent of the respondents feel racism and discrimination are serious issues in the city. That’s on par with the previous surveys–84 per cent agreed in 2017, 81 per cent in 2015, and 82 per cent in 2013.
“12 per cent strongly agree that Thunder Bay is a relatively safe city, and the [combined “agree” and “strongly agree” responses], 54%, is at its lowest proportion since we’ve been tracking this question.”
13 per cent said they had experienced discrimination because of their race. Most of those incidents, around 80 per cent, were verbal, and over a third of them happened on a city street. A quarter happened inside a store.
McKellar Councillor Brian Hamilton admitted “It’s always hard to hear the facts and figures on racism,” reacting to the 22 per cent of those people who said they experienced racism while at work. “There’s definitely some work to do there, but personally I’m glad that the conversation is percolating to the top.”
The city is also getting some criticism for the condition of our roads.
MacDonald told council this year’s citizen satisfaction survey found just under 40 per cent of us are “not at all satisfied” with street maintenance.
“[Street maintenance and snow removal] have been on a decline since 2013, and now maintenance of streets is only at 25% of satisfaction,” MacDonald notes. “That’s the lowest it’s ever been.”
About one-third of people don’t feel they have opportunities to engage with the city, which jumps to 65 per cent among people who’ve experienced racism.
Residents reported the highest satisfaction with services like firefighters, drinking water quality, and paramedics.
