Page 7 – The Plan To Re-Establish Health And Safety

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Safe Streets. Clean Public Spaces. Practical Solutions.

Every resident of Thunder Bay should be able to walk our streets, visit downtown, use our parks, wait for a bus, operate a business, and enjoy our public spaces without being exposed to unsafe or unsanitary conditions.

Health and safety are basic responsibilities of a municipality.

At the same time, we must recognize that homelessness, addiction, mental-health challenges, poverty, and crime are interconnected issues that require more than one response.

My approach is straightforward: compassion for people who need help, and accountability for behaviour that harms others.

As Mayor, I would work with Council, Thunder Bay Police Service, municipal staff, businesses, social-service organizations, and residents to re-establish safe, clean, and accessible public spaces throughout Thunder Bay.

1. Re-establish Safe Public Spaces

Public safety must be visible.

I would support a coordinated approach in downtown Thunder Bay and other areas experiencing recurring problems.

Police, municipal services, outreach workers, businesses, and community organizations should work together rather than operate in isolation.

Residents and businesses should know where to report problems, who is responsible for responding, and whether the response is actually working.

2. Keep Our Public Spaces Clean and Sanitary

Our streets, sidewalks, parks, plazas, transit areas, and downtown spaces should be clean and usable by everyone.

The City should respond promptly to:

• Human waste
• Discarded needles
• Garbage and debris
• Vandalism
• Abandoned property
• Other public-health and sanitation concerns

Clean public spaces are not simply a matter of appearance. They are a matter of public health, dignity, accessibility, and community confidence.

3. Address Public Urination and Defecation

If we want to reduce and ultimately eliminate public urination and defecation from our public spaces, we need both practical solutions and appropriate enforcement.

That means ensuring that people have reasonable access to public washrooms where demand is greatest.

The City should examine:

• Location of public washrooms
• Hours of operation
• Cleanliness
• Accessibility
• Security
• Maintenance
• Additional facilities where required
• Clear public information about where washrooms are available

Where public urination or defecation is prohibited, applicable laws and bylaws should then be enforced fairly and consistently.

Public sanitation should not be an afterthought.

4. Enforce the Law Based on Behaviour

Being homeless is not a crime.

But homelessness does not give anyone the right to assault, threaten, steal, vandalize, trespass, intimidate others, or engage in other unlawful behaviour.

The focus should be on conduct, not housing status.

Where unlawful or seriously disruptive behaviour occurs, there should be an appropriate and lawful response.

At the same time, people who need assistance should be connected with appropriate services.

This means combining enforcement with practical help rather than pretending that either approach alone can solve the problem.

5. Address Persistent and Aggressive Solicitation

People may ask others for assistance.

However, residents, visitors, and business owners should not be subjected to threatening, aggressive, obstructive, or otherwise prohibited solicitation.

The City should clearly communicate the rules governing solicitation and consistently enforce applicable laws and bylaws.

The objective is not to criminalize poverty.

The objective is to ensure that public spaces remain safe and accessible to everyone.

6. Strengthen the Connection Between Safety and Outreach

Police officers cannot solve homelessness and addiction by themselves.

Nor should social-service organizations be expected to solve public-safety problems by themselves.

Thunder Bay needs stronger coordination among:

• Thunder Bay Police Service
• Municipal services
• Housing providers
• Addiction services
• Mental-health services
• Emergency shelters
• Outreach workers
• Community organizations

When a person repeatedly comes into contact with emergency services, we should ask a practical question:

Is there a better intervention that can reduce the cycle of repeated crises?

Support should be available to people who need it.

Clear expectations concerning behaviour in shared public spaces should also be maintained.

7. Focus on Repeat Locations and Repeat Problems

Some locations experience the same problems repeatedly.

Instead of simply responding to each incident separately, the City should identify recurring problem locations and examine what is happening there.

We should ask:

What is happening here?

Why does it keep happening?

What has been tried?

Is it working?

What should change?

Resources should follow documented problems and measurable needs.

8. Protect Downtown Businesses and Their Customers

Thunder Bay businesses have a legitimate interest in safe and accessible streets surrounding their establishments.

Businesses should not have to choose between keeping their doors open and protecting their employees and customers.

The City should maintain regular communication with businesses and BIAs concerning:

• Theft
• Vandalism
• Trespassing
• Public disorder
• Sanitation
• Safety concerns
• Recurring problem locations

A healthy downtown requires both economic activity and public confidence.

9. Expand Practical Pathways Out of Homelessness

Enforcement alone will not solve homelessness.

People need realistic alternatives.

That means continuing to develop appropriate access to:

• Emergency shelter
• Transitional housing
• Supportive housing
• Addiction treatment
• Mental-health supports
• Employment and income supports
• Permanent housing

The objective should be to help people move from repeated emergency contacts toward greater stability and independence wherever possible.

10. Measure Results and Report Them Publicly

Residents deserve to know whether public-safety initiatives are actually working.

As Mayor, I would support regular public reporting on measurable outcomes, including:

• Calls for service
• Violent crime
• Property crime
• Public-space complaints
• Sanitation complaints
• Police and outreach contacts
• Housing and service referrals
• Repeat incidents
• Repeat locations
• Response times
• Program costs

We should measure results rather than simply announce programs.

If an approach is working, build on it.

If it is not working, change it.

If a program is costing taxpayers significant money, residents deserve to know what they are receiving in return.

Re-establishing Health, Safety and Public Confidence

Thunder Bay does not have to choose between compassion and public safety.

We can help people who need help.

We can protect vulnerable people.

We can support residents and businesses.

And we can insist that our shared public spaces remain safe, clean, sanitary, and accessible.

My Principle

Safe streets.

Clean public spaces.

Practical help for people who need it.

Consistent and lawful enforcement.

Accountability for results.

As Mayor, I would work toward a Thunder Bay where compassion does not mean ignoring unlawful behaviour, and public safety does not mean abandoning people who need help.

The goal is not simply to manage the problems we see on our streets.

The goal is to re-establish health, safety, dignity, and public confidence in our community.