May 2026
Project Support: Downtown Core Stabilization
Q. What is it?
A. The pilot project began on April 20 and will continue for 60 days. It involves teams conducting visible foot patrols in North and South downtown cores to deter disorder, respond quickly to concerns, and increase public confidence. Each patrol team is paired with a Social Navigator and/or Community Integration Team (CIT) Coordinator, ensuring service engagement is the first point of contact. Individuals are offered referrals to addiction treatment, mental health services, housing supports, and other appropriate resources.
Q. What sort of safety concerns led to this project?
A. We’re responding to concerns we’ve heard consistently about unsafe behaviours, trespassing, vandalism, public intoxication. This is a proactive initiative aimed at improving safety in shared public spaces in downtown cores. Our goal is to help connect people with the assistance that best suits their needs.
Q. How does this address the needs of people?
A. Our focus and first contact is outreach. Our main goal is to connect people with the most appropriate social services to suit their needs. Criminal enforcement may be pursued if disruptive or illegal behaviours in shared public spaces in downtown cores persists.
Q. Will this reduce police availability for other calls for service?
A. The initiative is being operated by our Community Oriented Response and Engagement Unit and will not directly impact Primary Response Unit staffing or response time.
Celebrating Police Week
May 11-16 marks National Police Week — a time to pause and recognize the people behind the badge and the many roles that support policing every day. We sincerely thank every member of our Service for the professionalism, care, and commitment they bring to our work and to the community we serve.
Each member contributes in meaningful ways, whether on the front line, behind the scenes, or in support roles that are absolutely essential. Police Week is an important opportunity to acknowledge their collective effort.
To mark the week, Mayor Ken Boshcoff will formally proclaim Police Week in the City of Thunder Bay and will join us in raising the Thunder Bay Police Service flag at City Hall, and our headquarters will be lit up by blue and red spotlights. Community members are invited to “Coffee with a Cop” at Dolce Coffee House on May 14 at 11:30 am. Please join us in celebrating Thunder Bay Police Service members.
Warm Weather, Smart Habits: Preventing Property Theft
As warmer weather arrives, we often see an increase in thefts from sheds and garages, especially when doors are left unlocked or valuables are easy to access. Simple steps can make a big difference—lock shed and garage doors, secure bicycles, tools, and seasonal equipment, and consider motion lights or alarms where possible. Taking a few minutes to lock up and stay aware can help protect your property and reduce opportunities for theft in our community.
Update from The Thunder Bay Police Service Board
The Board is pleased to share its updates for the month of April, and items of note as we look ahead to May!
April Board Meeting Updates
The Board convened for its monthly meeting on Tuesday, April, 16:
•The Board approved a new policy on Public Rewards.
•This new policy is to provide a clear framework for offering financial rewards that encourage the public to share credible information that leads to an arrest and prosecution in homicides or suspected homicides, major violent crimes, missing persons cases, or cold cases where leads have been exhausted, or the location or return of a missing person.
•Related to the above, the Board approved an amendment to its policy on Special Account Funds, noting the offering of a public reward for unsolved cases, for which the Board retains sole authority to earmark and disburse funds.
•The Board’s budget update includes year-to-date expenses of approximately $297, 000.
•The Board’s 2026 Annual Operating Budget is $960,430.
The Service provided the following updates:
•The Service provided the status of its Operational Budget for the 2025 fiscal year.
•As of December 31, 2025, the actual Net Operating Expenses total $60.4 million.
•This is compared to a Restated Net Operating Budget of $60.0 million.
•This resulted in an unfavourable variance (i.e higher than planned spending) of $428,000 (0.71%).
• The highest budget line item that resulted in additional spending at year-end includes personnel services, which were slightly over budget by $300, 000.
•This was largely driven by higher-than-expected overtime costs and increased expenses related to workplace injury claims (WSIB), along with additional staffing costs to support services in the hospital’s emergency department. While some of these costs were recovered through user fees, a small net deficit remained.
•These pressures were partially offset by savings in salaries and benefits, as a number of positions remained unfilled throughout the year.
•The Service also notes $700,000 in unplanned expenses stemming from the landfill search as part of a homicide investigation, in the form of truck and equipment rentals. Federal and Provincial funding assistance have not been confirmed at this time.
•The Service reported that its human resources’ team has worked to implement a proactive and coordinated approach to outreach— engaging students and community members— who are exploring new career opportunities.
•Key initiatives included participation in career fairs and community events, targeted college/high school presentations, and outreach to individuals affected by local workforce reductions.
Expression of Interest: New Executive Director
The Board is seeking a new Executive Director. The Application deadline was Monday, May 4.
The Executive Director provides strategic executive leadership and oversight to the Board, by supporting customer-focused and cost-efficient delivery of Board internal and external roles.
The Board will keep the public and media engaged on its progress.
Board Meetings
The Board welcomes members of the public and media to attend each meeting in -person, at Board Headquarters at 1111 Victoria Ave E, Unit #102.
Board Meetings are also broadcast ‘live’ locally on Rogers TV Thunder Bay (Channel 10 and 105 for Rogers Cable subscribers.)
The Board meeting is streamed live, with livestream info to be provided publicly closer to the meeting date.
The next Board meeting is Tuesday May 19, 2026.
