THUNDER BAY - Federal funding of $65 million to Ontario for addressing the growing issue of guns and gangs in the province is welcomed news to the Thunder Bay Police Service, but there are concerns that the north was not mentioned in potential projects to receive financial assistance.
“It’s disappointing that the north is not recognized,” said Thunder Bay Police Service deputy chief, Ryan Hughes. “There are issues here. We see it, the OPP sees it, NAPS and APS see the issues.”
On Monday, the provincial government said it will continue its fight against gun violence and gangs and human trafficking plaguing Ontario cities.
The province is being provided $65 million in federal funding to address these issues and in a release, Bill Blair, the Federal Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, said it is part of the government’s commitment to a collaborative approach to protecting Canadians.
“By providing the province of Ontario with $65 million, we are ensuring that law enforcement are provided with the necessary resources to better detect and prevent crimes before they happen, while holding offenders accountable for their blatant disregard of the law,” Blair said.
“Nobody should have to live in fear and we will also continue supporting local community groups to provide at-risk youth with opportunities to live meaningful lives while rejecting a life of crime."
The province identified strengthening several initiatives announced earlier this year, including combating human trafficking, creating an intensive firearm bail team in Peel, establishing a GTA Golden Horseshoe Gun and Gang Fund, and creating a new Eastern Ontario Gun and Gang Team to work with the Ottawa Police Service.
Solicitor General, Sylvia Jones, said in a statement issued on Monday that criminals do not respect geographical boundaries and the provincial government is committed to fighting illegal guns and gangs ‘province-wide.’
However, in the release issued by the province, there was no mention of any communities or initiatives outside the GTA and Ottawa regions.
“We have told the provincial and federal government through our members of parliament and MPPs and letters to appropriate people that there are issues in Thunder Bay that we do need funding for,” Hughes said. “The officers are working very hard, but we can’t keep up with everything.”
In the last several years, Thunder Bay has seen an increase in violent crime, including firearm-related homicides and drug trafficking connected to gangs.
Hughes said these issues are the result of gangs from the Ottawa and Toronto area setting up in Thunder Bay where crack cocaine and fentanyl can sell for more than double the price compared to Southern Ontario.
“I know our service is extremely busy,” Hughes said. “We have a high substance abuse issue here, we have a high vulnerable population here that these gangs do target.”
The province has not yet laid out the framework for how the $65 million will be allocated. Hughes said the Thunder Bay Police Service will need to lobby for the proper funding, as well as continue to apply for other grant opportunities that are available.
“It is a very costly business for policing,” Hughes said. “It is labour intensive, it is resource intensive. It’s into the judicial area. It’s very expensive. We constantly need equipment, salaries, education.”
“If you can stop the problem before it even gets to policing that would be even better,” Hughes added. “All that money goes to different programs, not just toward enforcement, but also toward educating the public.”
