EDITORIAL: Tackling homicides

As economist Livio Di Mateo so eloquently writes, the proposed event centre has overshadowed this election.

Unfortunately it’s been to the detriment of other issues, all of which must be addressed by the next council.

Crime, with the city suffering its 10th homicide of 2014 earlier this week, has got to be the No. 1 issue tackled by the next group to sit around the council table.

No longer can we afford to sit back and say there’s not much police and politicians can do to stop homicides.
It needs to vault to the top of the priority list.

We must examine the root causes of what’s leading to homicides – most assuredly drugs, alcohol and chronic poverty are involved – and figure out the best way to fix them once and for all.

It’s going to cost money.

There is no magic wand. Neither police nor politicians can make it disappear overnight.

But the vicious and violent cycle has to come to an end.

In addition to the senseless deaths, the problem is giving the city an image problem. While the Canadian Federation of Independent Business lifted the city one spot this year as great places to do business, prospective companies are going to be wary of setting up shop in Thunder?Bay if things don’t change soon.