THUNDER BAY-- Thunder Bay’s city clerk hopes a recent article highlighting racism in Winnipeg doesn't make people in Thunder Bay complacent about this city's challenges.
The Maclean's cover story, which states that Winnipeg shows the worst racism towards Aboriginals than elsewhere in Canada, could result in people in Thunder Bay thinking their own city doesn't have its own problems with racism.
"I'm not sure that that kind of declaration is helpful to characterize any one particular community in that way because racism is a problem that we have in our community and virtually every community right across the country," said John Hannam, who along with being this city’s clerk also heads Thunder Bay's Urban Aboriginal Strategy.
"We've been working towards trying to deal with them and confront them and change those challenges into more positive things."
But Hannam is hoping at the very least the article will force race issues into more mainstream conversations. While Thunder Bay has been trying to meet its race issues head-on in a political sense, and there's a lot of work left to do Hannam said, it can sometimes be a challenge to get the public involved.
"If there's anything positive to be taken from it, if it brings the community in a broader sense into the discussion then it's helpful," he said.
The city has an anti-racism committee and several Aboriginal initiatives. Mayor Keith Hobbs also called the city's racism problem shameful in his state of the city address last year.
"I am greatly concerned about some of the conversations happening here in Thunder Bay. There are frankly racist attitudes and sentiments being expressed by far too many people in our city. This issue, alarmingly, seems to be growing," he said in his speech.
Mayor Keith Hobbs is also sending a letter of support to Winnipeg mayor Brian Bowman.
