Bonfires spark call to help homeless, addicted
Police say area behind supermarket attractive to drinkers of hairspray, mouthwash
Thunder Bay police say they can only do so much to stop a rash of bonfires, set by people looking to stay warm.
Firefighters have been called to a wooded area near the Superstore three times in recent days to douse fires. Police have also taken people there into custody for being intoxicated.
Inspector Alan McKenzie said people hang out near the supermarket because it's handy to get the products they're using.
"The ground is completely littered in … hairspray bottles, Lysol, scope mouthwashes, things like that," McKenzie said. "There are often needles from other substance use."
Not solving the problem
McKenzie said police find themselves arresting the same people over and over.
He noted that one man who was picked up said he would head right back to the store, then to the hangout nearby. McKenzie said police are doing what they can to work with homeless people, and are patrolling known hangouts. But he said more needs to be done — beyond the services that police can provide.
"They’re not going to change the way that they live, they’re not going to just go away, so if you move them you just move the problem … you’re not solving the problem," McKenzie said.
"It’s something that, as a society, we need to find ways of helping these people, providing programs to them that would allow them to get off of the street."