THUNDER BAY – NEWS – Thunder Bay Police responded to a single motor vehicle collision in front of 1425 Walsh Street where a hydro pole was struck.
The accident caused severe front end damage to the vehicle and nearly broke the pole in half.
The road had to be shut down while hydro repaired the lines.
TPBS officers investigating the incident discovered that the driver had double the legal limit of alcohol in his system. A sixty-seven-year old Thunder Bay man was arrested as a result. The suspect now faces charges of impaired driving and driving with over .08 mgs of alcohol per 100 ml of blood in his system.
Police report that fortunately no one was injured in this incident. However once again it appears that the message of not getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle isn’t fully resonating with some in our community.
Alcohol Related Crime Chews Up Police Resources
The Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) are shining a light on beverage consumption with the release of the report Alcohol in Our Communities: A Report on Alcohol Use in Northwestern Ontario. The report takes a look at impacts and health harms of alcohol misuse in our region, shares feedback received from community members and local organizations, and makes recommendations for moving forward to address alcohol misuse in Northwestern Ontario.
“Fortunately there are things that we can do as individuals and as a community to promote drinking within healthy guidelines, and make drinking in moderation the new norm for our region,” say Dr. Young-Hoon, “We look forward to working alongside agencies and municipalities, to promote a culture of moderate alcohol consumption using tools like community education and policy development to create a supportive environment.”
This recent report states, “Alcohol related crime utilizes a large majority of our police resources, and is a constant battle for officers in our area. This takes away from all other crimes that are in need attention in our community. Along with this, injuries sustained due to intoxication take up many beds in our hospitals and emergency departments.”
“Compared to the rest of the province, the evidence show us that residents of Northwestern Ontario are less likely to follow the low-risk drinking guidelines, are more likely drink heavily, and are more likely to end up in the hospital because of alcohol misuse,” shares Dr. Kit Young-Hoon, Medical Officer of Health for the NWHU.
