Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Harvey Yesno admitted Tuesday night repair work needs to be done between police and the First Nations community.
Mayor Keith Hobbs admitted his campaign promise to clean up the streets of Thunder Bay has been an abject failure.
All agreed more meetings like Tuesday night’s Safe Streets, Safe Community forum, a public gathering staged at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, are necessary.
Hobbs, invited to speak by Nishnawbe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, who helped organize the NAN-led event, was unrestrained in documenting his failure, but also said he’s trying to build an all-inclusive city.
“When I ran for mayor two years ago, I ran on a platform of safe communities and I'll tell you right now that plank has been an absolute failure,” the mayor said.
With a growing portion of the population of Aboriginal descent, Hobbs said everyone deserves to be safe and secure.
“We have 20,000 aboriginal people living in my city. Those are all my citizens and I want to protect them.”
Thunder Bay Police were on hand and offered the opportunity to update the community on a pair of high-profile cases involving the Aboriginal community.
The first was a violent Dec. 27 alleged sexual assault the victim labeled racist in nature. The second was a case where a First Nations man alleged police drove him to the outskirts of the city and abandoned him, leaving him no choice but to walk home.
However, police said because both cases are still in the investigative stage, they are unable to release many details publicly.
Police Chief J.P.
Levesque did say he was in favour of meetings like the one held Tuesday night, adding they’re a good way to spark much-needed dialogue.
Fiddler said fear of life in Thunder Bay is starting to rise in First Nations communities throughout the North, a trend he’d like to reverse.
He said it’s sad that students from Northern communities don’t want to come to the city because they’re afraid.
NAN Grand Chief Harvey Yesno was pleased with the turnout and what the forum meant.
“It’s a real good start,” Yesno said. “It will be up to the leadership to put some things in place either more forums or starting to act on these suggestions. My start is going to be to work with the local First Nation here at Fort William and with Mayor Keith Hobbs.”
The public also had a chance to speak putting forth ideas ranging from harsher penalties for crimes involving sexual assaults towards women.
Most agreed that education is the key to make the city safer.
Glen Nolan, former chief at Missanabie Cree First Nation, said he grew up in a violent family, but over time, things changed.
“We made a conservative effort within our family to make a difference,” Nolan said. “My understanding is the violence that occurs against our people here in Thunder Bay is by our own people. We have to stand up and say it is not right."
Moffat Makuto, executive director of the Multicultural Association of Northwestern Ontario, said the secret to helping Aboriginal youth adjust is engaging them and listening to what they have to say.
“With this situation with the student at Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School, one bad apple kind of spoils the whole barrel,” he said.
“I think there needs to be more transparency.”
