THUNDER BAY – A Thunder Bay city councillor is calling for heightened security at a Westfort social housing complex that was the site of a homicide earlier this month.
The Nov. 4 shooting was the latest in a spate of incidents at Spence Court this year, including a forced entry involving a shotgun in September, and a break and enter in which two people were assaulted in March.
The apartment is operated by the Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board (TBDSSAB).
Westfort Ward city councillor Kristen Oliver says the agency needs to take action, requesting the DSSAB add 24-hour security and investigate whether it’s possible to implement “firmer” eviction rules.
A motion she put forward for discussion at city council on Monday would see the city formally ask the DSSAB to take those actions, and invite agency leaders to update council on its response.
The city doesn’t have authority over the DSSAB, though six of the agency’s 14 board members are Thunder Bay city councillors.
Oliver said she took the step of bringing the issue to council to “create a dialogue” with the DSSAB given the seriousness of the problem.
“This is amping up to something far more severe than I thought it was going to [be],” she said. “We have people that have lived in this building for decades that are absolutely petrified.”
“We have to look at implementing better security measures and an eviction policy of some sort, that when you’re starting to see an increase in crime and violent activity, there’s some kind of mechanism that can kick in right away so the people who live in these complexes are safe.”
A representative from the DSSAB was not available for an interview Wednesday.
CAO Bill Bradica previously declined an interview following the Nov. 4 homicide, saying he didn’t want to add to residents’ distress or compromise a police investigation.
In a statement, he said at the time police had indicated “criminal activity is happening all over the city, not just TBDSSAB properties.”
That referred to comments from deputy police chief Ryan Hughes earlier this month that social housing was not unique in experiencing a spike in gang-related drug and gun issues - though he said traffickers often target “vulnerable populations” for home takeovers.
According to Oliver, however, the situation at Spence Court is serious enough it requires particular attention.
“Obviously the recent homicide in Spence Court was incredibly alarming,” she said. “We’re seeing an increase in the violence that’s taking place in not only this building, but this is probably one of the most challenging buildings we’re seeing now in the community.”
“A lot of these people have lived in this complex for decades, and over the course of the last few years they’re seeing substantial increases in some criminal activity and violent behaviour. They’re scared, and I don’t blame them – I’m scared for them.”
Oliver said many of the problems appear to revolve around gang-related drug trafficking.
The Thunder Bay Police Service has been working with the DSSAB on the issue, Oliver said, but the issue is “far bigger than police.”
“I don’t want to discredit the work that they’re doing, because it has made some sort of in-roads and positive impact,” she said. “[But] it’s well known, police are arresting two, three, five people, and within two or three days, those people are being replenished again from Toronto and Ottawa.”
Her resolution calling for security presence is essentially a “band-aid solution,” she said, but believes it could help mitigate the problem.
