THUNDER BAY – Richard “Chef House” Moorey is seeking a seat on City Council as Councillor at Large.
Here are his answers to questions on the issue of 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: We have a crime council that seems to have been formed just before an election to remove any clouds of doubt that voters may have over this current council’s stance on crime in Thunder Bay. The late hour of our public relations face saving aside I have not seen any definitive parameters that suggest anything beyond the loose idea of a CPC (crime prevention council).
There doesn’t seem to be anything suggesting that current council has thought too much beyond the inception of the CPC and it is still very much in its infancy. I think that there is much potential for the CPC if taken seriously and far beyond a pre-election ploy to gain votes.
I submit that today’s city council has created something that could serve Thunder Bay well but your guess is as good as mine as to if and when the CPC will actually move forward and begin to implement any future recommendations.
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: When you’re 23rd on the most dangerous city list it’s hard to say it’s not as bad as it looks and have people believe you. While the common rebuttal to our crime rate is that “crime in our city is greatly influenced by socio-economic drivers” this is more of a cop out than level headed acceptance of our position.
Crime is as bad as it looks on paper BUT! We can take our city back and very quickly. While social programming and support groups are an important part of crime prevention we need to get our streets under control too.
By taking advice from our own officers and implementing more “old school” beat patrols, increasing neighbourhood policing centres and rebuilding trust between our police, citizens and youth we can accomplish substantial reductions in crime.
The root of our crime issues will take time to reduce and resolve but by backing our citizens and our police department now we can realize tangible results quickly.
I certainly wouldn’t say I’m proud of our ranking but it is an inspiring statistic that should light a fire under any councillor’s leather chair. There is no better reason to to take aggressive action. If we use this as a starting point for this, the next and future councillors we can strive to bring our city back and make it safe for it’s most important asset…it’s people.
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 think that the efforts of the CEDC and Thunder Bay Tourism have probably been hampered somewhat by Macleans article. Hopefully many people will take this article with a grain of salt and come and see the beauty and potential of our great city for themselves and not judge our city before they come and see it for themselves.
It’s worth caring for, it’s worth investing in, its worth the effort.
We can make this city great again if we work together.
Are there any other comments would you like to make?
Election Day is fast approaching and it’s up to you to decide who will be stepping in to take on leadership roles for the next four years and beyond. Does this candidate have the shoulders for the job? Does that candidate have the ability to listen to the people? Will my choices be accountable, trustworthy and real people that I can access?
Trust is a precious thing. Take a few minutes and think about where your trust belongs.
Trust in House…
I promise I won’t let you down.
This October 25th SUPERSIZE your Vote! Vote HOUSE for Councillor @ Large
Richard Moorey
168 Ruttan St
Thunder Bay, ON
Canada
P7A 5E3
807.986.3710
