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Local Aboriginal murder rate troubles MP

THUNDER BAY -- Don Rusnak wants to work with communities to address issues leading to high numbers of Aboriginal murder victims in the city.
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(Jamie Smith, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY -- Don Rusnak wants to work with communities to address issues leading to high numbers of Aboriginal murder victims in the city.

Thunder Bay recorded the second highest number of Aboriginal people murdered of any Canadian metropolitan area over 100,000 people last year.

Only Winnipeg reported more Aboriginal murder victims than Thunder Bay for 2014, confirmed new numbers from Statistics Canada.
Statistics Canada’s annual homicide report, released Wednesday, found the city had seven murder cases in 2014 with an Aboriginal victim.

Winnipeg reported 14 Aboriginal victims.

With his past as both a defence attorney and prosecutor, MP Rusnak said the numbers aren't surprising but they are a concern.  There are no quick fixes but he's hoping to see more money flow to communities and organizations with a focus on prevention.

"It's troubling but there's a lot of problems in First Nations communities that need to be addressed. That's what I plan on working on in terms of the communities in my riding and helping solve some of those problems," he said.

Rusnak was in Toronto earlier this week speaking with the Chiefs of Ontario about those issues. The federal government has also promised an inquiry on missing and murdered Aboriginal women, which Rusnak said will be making recommendations.
 





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