THUNDER BAY – The journey toward a safer Thunder Bay has started. The Thunder Bay Crime Prevention Council held its Inaugural Meeting last evening which brought together more than 25 agencies to begin engaging the community in the task of preventing crime, increasing safety and fostering the well-being of everyone in Thunder Bay. The community-based, evidence-driven Council approved its Interim Terms of Reference and elected Wendy Landry as Chair and Jon DeFaveri as Acting Chair.
Ms. Landry is President of the Thunder Bay Council of the Métis Nation and has 22 years experience in the Corrections field, including Youth Justice and Restorative Justice. She is also an instructor with the Police Foundations, Protection-Security and Investigation Program at Confederation College.
John DeFaveri is the Director of Education for the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board and has 31 years experience in education and administration. He has served as Superintendent of both the York Region Roman Catholic School Board and Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board.
Two citizen members, Linda Bruins and Michelle Woods, and two youth members, Kim Baskin and Gurleen Chahal, were selected following an application process this fall. Mayor Keith Hobbs (Ex-Officio) and Councillors Trevor Giertuga and Aldo Ruberto represent City Council on the Crime Prevention Council.
Several sectors are represented on the Council including representatives from the following agencies:
| Beendigan Inc. | Lakehead Social Planning Council |
| Children’s Centre Thunder Bay | Nishnawbe Aski Nation |
| City of Thunder Bay Recreation & Culture | Nishnawbe Aski Police |
| Conseil Scolaire de District Catholique des Aurores Boréales | Ontario Provincial Police Ontario Union of Indians |
| Dennis Franklin Cromarty School | St. Joseph’s Care Group |
| Dilico | Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board |
| District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board | Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce |
| Downtown Business Zones | Thunder Bay Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario
Thunder Bay Counselling Centre |
| Fort William First Nation | Thunder Bay District Health Unit |
| Indian Friendship Centre | Thunder Bay Drug Strategy |
| John Howard Society | Thunder Bay Police Service |
| Lakehead District Public School Board | Thunder Bay Sexual Assault Centre |
The Council’s next meeting will be in late January. One of the first orders of business is conducting a crime and disorder audit to identify community problems and develop a comprehensive community Safety and Crime Prevention Plan to be implemented for the City of Thunder Bay.
