Thunder Bay – If you’ve ever sat through a morning docket at the Thunder Bay courthouse, you’ll have heard the litany: Remanded. Remanded. Remanded. It’s a chorus that plays daily across courtrooms in the city—a painful and public reminder that justice here is grinding slowly, often pointlessly, and with little faith that it serves the community, the victims, or even the accused.
Our local justice system is faltering—not just under the weight of caseloads, but under the gravity of its own inertia. Cases are being remanded dozens of times.
People are held for months, even years, in the crumbling Thunder Bay District Jail—often waiting for proceedings that lead to little more than procedural resolutions or plea deals.
For many, the process itself has become the punishment.
A System That Doesn’t Know When to Say No
There are also increasing questions around why some cases are in court at all. Minor breaches, technical infractions, or charges involving deeply complex mental health or addictions issues are being prosecuted in a criminal forum that’s not equipped to deliver solutions—only sentences.
Community advocates and legal professionals alike are quietly sounding the alarm: Too many people are caught in a legal system that’s treating social crises with handcuffs.
Instead of meaningful diversion, rehabilitation, or public safety outcomes, courtrooms are tied up in legal minutiae that drain resources and defy logic.
Legal aid lawyers are stretched to the breaking point, Crown attorneys are overwhelmed, and judges are increasingly left to referee a system that looks more and more like a revolving door.
Thunder Bay and Northern Ontario Indigenous communities have been swamped in a sea of deadly fentanyl and other drugs. Yet all too often the accused, mostly from Southern Ontario can afford hot-shot Toronto lawyer and get released on conditions.
One can almost hear the echoes of their laughter as Thunder Bay’s overwhelmed and revolving door courts do their daily duties.
When Sentencing Fails to Reassure
Take the case of Randy Andrews, a 25-year-old who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in June 2024. It wasn’t until December—six months later—that he was finally sentenced.
He received a six-year sentence, but with pre-trial custody credited at an enhanced rate, Andrews will serve just over four more years.
Six years for manslaughter?
In Canada, the maximum sentence for manslaughter is:
Life imprisonment (no mandatory minimum in most cases)
However, the actual sentence varies widely depending on the circumstances of the case.
Key Sentencing Details for Manslaughter in Canada:
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Maximum Penalty: Life in prison (under Section 236 of the Criminal Code of Canada)
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Minimum Sentence:
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No minimum — unless a firearm was used in the commission of the offence.
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If a restricted or prohibited firearm is used:
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4-year mandatory minimum sentence
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Sentencing Factors Judges Consider:
Judges have wide discretion and will weigh:
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Intent and level of violence
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Whether it was criminal negligence or a sudden altercation
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The offender’s background and criminal history
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Guilty plea or cooperation with the court
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Victim impact statements and harm caused
While the law permits these credits and they are based on precedent, such outcomes are eroding public confidence.
Families of victims are left asking: What was the point of the trial? And the broader community is left to wonder whether justice is truly being served—or merely administered.
The trouble is the legal industry as it is often called, is running the risk of people mistrusting the system, and eventually and wrongly some may decide to take matters into their own hands.
Thunder Bay’s Unique Struggles, and Who’s Paying the Price
Thunder Bay’s court system is not just overwhelmed; it’s under-resourced and deeply entangled in broader social failings—from housing instability to addiction to historical trauma. A disproportionate number of those remanded day after day are Indigenous, many of whom are navigating a colonial legal system that has never operated in their interest.
The jail is packed. The courtrooms are full. And yet, justice feels increasingly absent.
“This isn’t justice. It’s triage,” one local defence lawyer told NetNewsLedger on condition of anonymity.
Where Do We Go From Here?
The calls for reform aren’t new—but they are becoming more urgent. Thunder Bay needs:
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An expanded bail supervision program to prevent needless pre-trial detention.
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Serious investment in Indigenous-led justice alternatives and restorative programs.
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A re-examination of which cases truly belong in criminal court.
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More judges, more legal aid lawyers, and faster sentencing processes.
Without these changes, Thunder Bay risks losing not just faith in its legal system—but the very idea that justice is possible in the first place.
