THUNDER BAY – Sharon Ostberg is seeking a seat on Thunder Bay City Council as a Councillor at Large.
Here are Ostberg’s answers to NetNewsledger.com’s questions on Crime:
Question: Thunder Bay has formed a Crime Prevention Council, how long will it take before that Council meets, and how long afterward to implement its recommendations?
Answer: The council should meet as soon as the new council resumes so that there can be an appointed council liaison, if not sooner, once they have forwarded the recommendations to city hall these should be seriously prioritised and acted upon, by supporting and resourcing.
Question: Over the past year, some on Council along with the Police Services Board have suggested the crime rates are not as bad as they looked.
What is your reaction to Thunder Bay being listed 23rd most dangerous city?
Answer: Reading that sentence in isolation, it is a little hard to swallow. Putting it into context when you consider we are the 17th largest city in Canada we serve the largest remote populations, we are situated on the Trans-Canada highway, and only 50km from the US border I do not think this statement is as raw as it could be.
We can improve with additional resources to address the root of the problem, addictions, mental health issues, FASD, homelessness, and poverty; these are the source of much of the crime labelling us dangerous.
Question: The CEDC and Thunder Bay Tourism are working very hard to build our brand as a great place to work, visit and live.
Do you feel that Macleans Magazine’s article can harm those efforts?
Answer: I don’t believe that the articles from Macleans can do any additional harm to the city’s tourism initiatives; we need to continue with our strategic marketing plan, we as citizens of Thunder Bay, need to be the good ambassadors of the city, and ensure that we each do our part, to promote the great city we live in.
I am not living in a glass bubble or ignoring that we do have problems, however, I believe that working together we can fix these problems, what we do need is have some belief in our city. Our council needs to work together to put the right resources into the right places, I believe that is into prevention, this comes in many forms, housing, poverty, drug and alcohol addictions treatment centres, mental health beds.
Are there any other comments would you like to make?
On October 25th exercise you say, on what you want in Thunder Bay, Vote Vote Vote This is your opportunity to voice your opinion on how your city is run.
