THUNDER BAY — The city has begun the process of developing a youth gang prevention and intervention strategy.
It's advertising for a consultant to lead the planning process, and is anticipating some federal funding to cover off the costs of implementation.
The city has already been identified as an eligible recipient for funding, but details are being withheld until a report containing budget implications and timelines is presented to city council.
Public Safety Canada oversees a Youth Gang Prevention Fund that supports community initiatives to prevent at-risk youth from joining gangs, provide exit strategies for youth who have already joined gangs, and offer supports so they don't rejoin gangs.
The Thunder Bay project was instigated by the Community Safety and Well-being Advisory Committee.
A committee representative was not made available for comment.
Lee-Ann Chevrette, the city's community safety and well being specialist, told TBnewswatch "we are in the very early stages of planning."
But according to the published request for proposals, the project will support efforts to combat gun and gang violence in Thunder Bay and address knowledge gaps about the impacts of different types of interventions.
Community consultations and partnerships — including with youth and members of racialized groups — will be major components.
On its website, Public Safety Canada says its program supports targeted initiatives that address specific risk and protective factors associated with youth violence and youth gangs where they exist or where they are emerging trends.
It also promotes the implementation evidence-based interventions to provide young people with alternatives to joining gangs.
Last year the Thunder Bay Police Service produced a series of videos aimed at diverting youths from joining criminal gangs.
Thunder Bay Police Sgt. Julie Tilbury, who works in the community outreach unit, says it's difficult to measure the extent to which local youths might be involved in these gangs.
But it's clear that teens from Southern Ontario are travelling to the city to participate in gang-related drug trafficking, and police worry that this could cause other youths to participate.
"Our concern is that these individuals are infusing themselves into some of our vulnerable neighbourhoods, which could impact young people there. So we are working hard to work with the youth and educate them on the negative effects of being involved with a gang," Tilbury said in an interview.
In addition to the videos, in the last couple of years police service has done outreach in high schools, in part with the support of Wali Shah, a spoken word poet and motivational speaker.
Tilbury said the response from students has been "very positive."
"Any work that we can do within our community to help make our youth more resilient, and be able to have tools to deal with negative impacts of social issues that are happening, is only going to make our community stronger," she said, acknowledging the city's prevention and intervention strategy isn't developed yet.
"Any stakeholders that have something to offer should consider coming to the table to do what they can to protect our youth."
