April 2011 - Hot Topic

Thunder Bay’s New Drug Strategy

The draft Thunder Bay Drug Strategy was released in February 2011 after two years of community consultations, strategy sessions, and related meetings. Entitled A Roadmap for Change: Towards a Safe and Healthy Community, the strategy proposes 112 actions that contribute to eight key results. If all actions are taken together, the strategy has great potential to significantly reduce the harm associated with substance use in the Thunder Bay area.

According to the report, “…Thunder Bay struggles with higher than average rates of drinking, binge drinking, violent crime, and various chronic diseases and injuries, along with other social and medical problems.”

The report continues to describe Thunder Bay as the jurisdiction with the highest intoxicated arrests. City youth have a significantly higher incidence of substance use compared to youth in other parts of Ontario, including alcohol use and binge drinking rates.

Building on a Four Pillar approach common in the drug policy field, the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy created a fifth pillar to help address their unique needs – housing.

“Without adequate, affordable and appropriate housing, families are at risk for poor health, including substance use and addiction problems,” says Patty Hajdu, Drug Strategy Coordinator. “The result from creating a ‘housing pillar’ is thirteen specific actions that must be addressed to improve housing options for all citizens of Thunder Bay.”

Response to the strategy by the community of Thunder Bay has been overwhelmingly positive. The Steering Committee has sought feedback from citizens via an online survey and by hosting two public consultations.

The final strategy will be presented to Thunder Bay’s City Council for acceptance in April 2011.