QUEEN'S PARK — Thunder Bay-Superior North MPP Michael Gravelle raised the issue of Thunder Bay's crime problem in the legislature Tuesday, calling for provincial money for the city's hard-pressed police service.
Gravelle made the case for government financial assistance in a statement at Queen's Park.
He said Premier Doug Ford's government has recognized that guns, gangs and drugs are significant issues in Toronto and Ottawa, and has provided significant funding for those cities to deal with crime.
"But what is perhaps not as well known by this government is that those issues have spread to northern communities like Thunder Bay," Gravelle said.
The Liberal MPP told legislature that southern Ontario gangs have infiltrated the community, "putting an enormous strain on the Thunder Bay Police Service."
Gravelle added that the influence of gangs has left the city with one of the highest per capita murder rates and violent crime rates in Canada.
He said people in the city were shocked when they learned that none of the $65 million the federal government gave the province earlier this year to deal with guns and gangs was allocated to Thunder Bay, despite a strong case being made by Mayor Bill Mauro and Police Chief Sylvie Hauth.
One of the TBPS's needs, Gravelle said, is the creation of a major case unit, as the police service is not adequately staffed to properly respond to large number of violent crimes.
"The time has clearly come for the province to financially support the Thunder Bay Police Service so that they can effectively deal with guns, gangs, drugs and human trafficking issues," he stated.
