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Police Chief thinks North Bay needs more funding to cope with guns and gangs

'As federal or provincial monies are applied to Toronto it is going to have the squeezing effect on the issue and these criminals will be squeezed into our communities'
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North Bay Police Chief Scott Tod addresses Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction, at a town hall meeting today at Nipissing University.

North Bay Police Chief Scott Tod says the North Bay Police Service has not seen any funding come through to help them deal with gun and gang violence in the area.  

“As federal or provincial monies are applied to Toronto it is going to have the squeezing effect on the issue and these criminals will be squeezed into our communities and we know that so I have asked him to be reminded of that and asked him to keep an awareness of that when they are providing funding to communities,” said Tod. 

“As we apply pressure into the GTA on guns and gangs that the criminals in Toronto will transfer to smaller Ontario communities with guns to sell drugs or other things such as human trafficking and then they carry guns into our community which means our local criminals will also try to carry guns because it is all about the control of the crime that happens in our communities.”  

Tod made the point today at a town hall meeting at Nipissing University hosted by local MP Anthony Rota and Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction. 

Blair says the government has spent close to $90 million on border security to try and keep guns out. 

“What we are looking at is all the measures that can be effective in keeping communities safe and so one of the things I have been tasked to do is look into how criminals get their hands on guns and plug all those leaks,” said Blair. 

Blair says guns get into the hands of criminals in three ways including being smuggled across the border, stolen from legal gun owners or guns shops, or legally purchased guns are re-sold for profit to criminals. 

“We are looking at all those measures that will be effective,” said Blair, a former Toronto Police Chief. 

“There are some weapons, just like some drugs, that are so dangerous that they need to be prohibited in our society but we also know that respecting the lawful firearm owner who is not a threat to public safety but their weapons, if they get into the wrong hands, can be.”


Chris Dawson

About the Author: Chris Dawson

Chris Dawson has been with BayToday.ca since 2004. He has provided up-to-the-minute sports coverage and has become a key member of the BayToday news team.
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