THUNDER BAY -- Preventing crime could be as easy as taking a stroll through the neighbourhood.
This Saturday and Sunday, the city is participating in the annual Jane's Walk and will host walks in eight different neighbourhoods.
Jane's Walk was started in 2008 to honour urbanist and activist Jane Jacobs, who championed a community-based approach to city-building.
Thunder Bay has been participating in the walks since 2011 with up to 150 people coming out for the event last year.
The city's crime prevention council acting coordinator Lee-Ann Chevrette the walks help prevent crime by addressing some of the root causes.
"When people feel alienated from their neighbourhoods and their communities and they don't know their neighbours, they tend to engage in more anti-social behaviour. That leads potentially to criminal activity," she said.
Jane's Walk also helps build strong neighbourhoods by engaging community members, added Chevrette.
"We want people, on a fundamental level, to feel connected and to feel like a valuable member of their neighbourhood so that they are engaged, they feel welcome, they feel healthy and they feel safe," she said.
The city started with four years ago with walks in four neighbourhoods and this year have expanded to eight.
The locations for Saturday are:
- East End, meet at Charry's Corner clock Tower at 10 a.m.
- Academy, meet at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium at 1 p.m.
- Simpson/Ogden, meet at Evergreen A United Neighbourhood house at 1 p.m.
- Windsor/Picton/Blucher, meet at Unit 16, Blucher Crescent at 3 p.m.
- McKellar/south core, meet at city hall at 3 p.m.
Sunday's locations and times are:
- North core, meet at Waverley Park Fountain at 1 p.m.
- Current River, meet at Current River Playground at 1 p.m.
- Hillcrest/Mariday Park, meet at the Hillcrest Park bell at 2 p.m.
For more information visit www.janeswalk.net.
