Daylight shooting in Thunder Bay triggers community meeting on escalating gang violence
More than 70 people attended ward meeting following May 2 shootout
In the aftermath of a daylight shooting in Thunder Bay's Westfort neighbourhood, more than 70 people attended a meeting Tuesday night with questions about what the city's leaders can do to address gang violence in the city's south end.
But as Coun. Kristen Oliver admitted, residents may have left the meeting with more questions than answers.
Conversations about crime and drug use in the neighbourhood aren't new, but tensions came to a head after a shootout on May 2 at Spence Court, a building owned by the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB) with 163 rent-geared-to-income housing units. Three arrests have been made so far.
Oliver organized the meeting at the West Thunder Community Centre to give residents the chance to express their concerns following the incident, as well as their ideas for solutions.
She also invited councillors who sit on TBDSSAB, the freshly-minted police chief Darcy Fleury, and Mayor Ken Boshcoff – whom one resident called out for falling asleep during the meeting.
Emotions ran high, with one woman in tears describing the day of the shooting, and others screaming their frustrations in the tightly-packed room.
Some residents called for more accountability from TBDSSAB, positing ideas like banning visitors at Spence Court and re-designating it as seniors-only housing.
But as Coun. Albert Aiello said, landlords cannot dictate who visits their units, and Oliver pointed out the building was opened to all ages due to the city's lack of affordable housing.
One person said the last time they called the police, no one showed up. Another asked what they could do, legally, to protect themselves – to which Fleury responded that even when police resources are strained, people should always call 911, and only exert self-defense when necessary.
Provincial responsibilities, municipal consequences
One thing city manager Norm Gale made clear from the outset was what the city can and cannot do to address ongoing social issues, like homelessness, addiction and mental health.
"It's not on the city's shoulders to solve this problem; it's a provincial problem that must be solved by the province," he said.
Oliver, who chairs the city's intergovernmental affairs committee, said council has been tirelessly advocating for more supports from upper levels of government – including for a piece of the $390 million announced earlier this month from the federal government to prevent gun crime and gang violence across the country.
As many of the city's leaders said, advocacy is one of the only things the municipality can do.
What really scares me is that we're creating more isolation where we really need to create more care and more networks of support for people.- Melanie Davis, Westfort resident
Resources such as a crisis centre, detox centres and safe, sobering sites would ease pressures on the city's emergency services, but as many residents expressed during Tuesday's meeting, more support is needed, especially from the province, Oliver said.
One thing she'd like to see is more progress on bail reform, which the federal government is looking at with Bill C-48, including the ability to have victim impact statements.
"There's just so much. It's such a complex and there's just so much that feeds into it," she said.
While the Thunder Bay Police Service is actively investigating gang activity, it's no easy feat, nor is it unique to Thunder Bay, Chief Fleury explained.
"Once you take some people off, you find another group or they reinforce it with other people – so it's a constant struggle," he said. "To interrupt this kind of activity is the main thing we can do. If along the line we can actually just completely wipe it out, that's the ultimate goal."
Residents call for more care, social supports
Sharon Pitre, who formerly worked in the mental health and addictions field, has lived in Westfort most of her life. She described the shooting incident as "like something out of a TV show."
Her suggestion was for mental health or social service workers to have an office at TBDSSAB buildings, so they could provide on-site support and check-ins for people as needed. This would also help keep track of activity in the apartments, she added.
That's an idea Coun. Oliver said she can get behind.
"If we're going to tackle this in any way, I think we need to really look at enhancing those support networks and that infrastructure, so that people [that] require it have the services, and those that don't feel that they're living in a safe community," said Oliver.
In an email to CBC News on Friday, a communications person for TBDSSAB said there are already social supports on site at Spence Court.
"Programming is delivered by community partner organizations. We also have tenant support worker on site to connect residents to services. However, because Spence Court is a community housing building, these supports are optional, and tenants need to opt-in," wrote communications assistant Larissa Jones.
Melanie Davis, who attended the meeting with her young son, has been living in Westfort for a few years now. She hoped the meeting would bring about ideas for change – but worries people's fears may hold the community back from moving forward in a positive way.
"What I worry about when that happens is that we kind of lose the opportunity to create a community that supports people who are in need, particularly in these situations where they become vulnerable to crimes taking over their home," Davis said.
"What really scares me is that we're creating more isolation where we really need to create more care and more networks of support for people," she continued.
Davis said she and her neighbours look out for one another – and while no solution is cut and dry, collaborative efforts are needed.
"It's unsettling for sure," she said of the shooting, "but that's why I bring [my son] here, too, because I think it's important not to lose sight that these are things that impact every person in the community, every age, every demographic."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
