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After deaths of two teens in 2017, Thunder Bay police say waterway incidents down last year

The number of incidents along area waterways in 2018 dropped to 305 compared to 459 in 2017 as Police continue to collect data as part of its Project Floodway.

THUNDER BAY - Increased police presence and community outreach has resulted in fewer incidents along area waterways, but police say more data needs to be collected to ensure people remain safe.

Thunder Bay Police Service Insp. Ryan Gibson presented the Project Floodway Annual Report to the Thunder Bay Police Services Board on Tuesday.

The Floodway Project began in November 2016 in response to recommendation 115 from the Seven Youth Inquest.

There have been several deaths in Thunder Bay waterways in recent years, including two teens in 2017.

“The goal is to obviously assist people who have those issues, substance abuse issues in particular, that may themselves become victims by the waterways,” Gibson said.

The project identified four study areas, including McVicar Creek, the Neebing/McIntyre Floodway, the Lower Neebing River, and the Kaministiqua River.

The data collected for 2017 and 2018 involved patrol officers conducting up to three proactive checks of the study area per day based on manpower available, as well as calls from the public of persons in these areas who may be engaged in unsafe behaviour.  

The incidents recorded only represent calls in which police were involved and not incidents where Thunder Bay Fire Rescue or Superior North EMS were the only emergency services called to respond.

In 2017, there was a total of 459 incidents along area waterways, which includes calls for service and subject stops during police patrols.

Of those incidents, 307 took place along the Neebing/McIntyre Floodway, which had the highest number of incidents at 67 per cent. Of those incidents, 210 took place near the Thunder Centre, 50 at the CN Rail Bridge, and 15 at Silvercity.

The average age of persons involved was 35.5-years-old and the medium age was 33. The total number of persons was 1,211, while the total number of youth was 61.

According to the report, police responded to multiple encounters involving the same individuals. Of the 1,211 total persons, police identified 372 persons and 236 were unique.

In 2018, the number of incidents dropped to a total of 305. The highest number of incidents once again took place at the Neebing/McIntyre Floodway with 209 or 69 per cent, 145 of which occurred near the Thunder Centre.

The average age was 36.5-years-old and a medium age of 33. Again, police were involved in multiple encounters with the same individuals, with 194 of the 701 of the total persons identified, 133 were unique persons.

Gibson said even though there has been a reduction in the number of incidents, more data is required to fully understand the positive impacts and how to reduce those numbers even further.

“We need more time to see where we are at,” he said. “At the end of the day, one stat is one drowning compared to five the previous year. I cannot say why that happened for sure, but I have to believe there are other social assurance agencies that are down there, who are aware of this, there are community supports in place, there are police down there, that is going to have an impact as far as persons being in that area.”

The types of incidents police responded to in 2018 include 47 possible-life saving interventions and six probably lifesaving interventions by officers. Police also participated in eight water rescues in 2018 compared to five in 2017. In 2018, 75 per cent of water rescues involved a person in mental health crisis with the intention of committing suicide.  

According to Gibson, the majority of incidents involved alcohol, drugs, or mental health issues, which continues to be a challenge for the community.  

“For our officers, we want these people to be safe,” he said. “When they are going there, they are trying to make an assessment of what is best for that person at that time. We want to make sure they can go to a place of safety if needed.”

During the Police Services Board meeting, several members raised the possibility of monitoring area waterways with cameras.

A camera project could include live cameras and thermal cameras that would be monitored by a community command centre. However, it would also require several kilometres of fiber optic cable to be run along walking trails.

A Police spokesperson said it would be best to expand upon the existing Eye on the Street program. However, during budget deliberations this year, city council cut $150,000 for planning for a public safety command centre.

Gibson said police will continue to gather data as part of the Floodway Project for at least one more year.  

“I think that as long as we continue to engage with those other partnerships and the steps the community is already taking, I think those are all going to eventually have a net effect on calls for service dealing with issues such as this,” he said.  


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Doug Diaczuk

About the Author: Doug Diaczuk

Doug Diaczuk is a reporter and award-winning author from Thunder Bay. He has a master’s degree in English from Lakehead University
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