Thunder Bay city council reviews river audit results

Thunder Bay city councillors took their time Monday night, poring overthe details of a report highlighting how the city will address recommendations made at a coroner's inquest in 2016.

City council approved the annual report, responding to nearly three dozen recommendations made at the seven youth inquest, that examined why young people who moved to Thunder Bay, Ont., from remote northern communities to further their education died.

The city will focus on creating a new bus pass for First Nations students, with the goal of making it easier to get around the city, and to participate in youth programming.

The main focus at the Monday night meeting was on a study commissioned by the city, as part of an inquest recommendation.

River audits

The city brought in a consultant to look at the safety of waterways in the city, specifically the area near the Kaministiquia River Heritage Park, the McIntyre River and McVicarCreek.

"So the goal is to reduce opportunities for harm to occurin these isolated locations," said Lee-Ann Chevrette, Thunder Bay'sCrime Prevention Coordinator.

"These areas represent a high degree of loitering risk, and subsequent level of difficulty for detection and observation."

Chevrette said the report will focus on nine recommendations

• Recognition of land and water to Indigenous people
• Install barriers for unsafe and unlawful loitering under bridges (includes putting up steel screens, CCTVand lighting)
• Formal educational partnerships with all local institutions (ie: Adopt-a-River program)
• Safety improvements for roadway crossings
• Work with LCBO to minimize "runners"
• Lighting enhancements for visibility and safety
• Eliminate graffiti
• Pedestrian connection to where McVicarCreek meets Lake Superior (make this a 'celebrated' active area)
• Link to Northwest Community Mobilization Partnership

Lights not only solution

The suggestion of strategically placing lights, instead of simply flooding waterways with light came as a surprise to some who undertook a two day course on the river audits.

"One of the things that we were told that was kind of, I guess a little hard for me, because I thought lighting up was the answer," said Norma Kejick, the executive director of the Northern Nishnawbe Education Council.

"I didn't realize that lighting invites more criminal activity."

Consultants told the city that if lighting is not used properly, it can create a gathering place, instead of deterring unwanted activities.

The city hopes to have the final river audit report completed by the end of August.