City considers expanding video surveillance

Thunder Bay’s Eye in the Sky surveillance program has resulted in hundreds of calls about suspicious events last year — and more video cameras could soon be watching over the downtown cores.

A report prepared for city council outlines the results of the system that includes 13 cameras keeping an eye on the north and south cores, along with Simpson Street.

Camera operators reported about 300 suspicious events to police or paramedics last year.

The city's manager of central support said said three cameras are still in storage after they were taken down with the closure of the Brodie Street bus terminal. But the city wants them back in action.

"We do want to re-assess the south core once the courthouse is up and running and in case there’s any decision to be made around the bus terminal," Charles Campbell said.

"So we don't really want to redeploy necessarily all the cameras right away, and then have to look at that again."

Campbell wouldn’t speculate on where the city would put up the extra cameras. But he noted the terms of the program state they would have to be installed in the north or south cores, or along Simpson Street.

"We actually only have — under the mandate of the program — the options of the north core, the south core or the Simpson Street BIA," he said.

A total of 13 cameras are installed at the following locations:

• Archibald St /Victoria Ave (Victoriaville Mall)
• Syndicate Ave S. and Donald Street East
• Victoria Ave. and Brodie St.
• Water Street Bus Terminal (3 cameras)
• Simpson St. and Victoria Ave.
• Simpson St. and Rowand St.
• Red River Road and Cumberland St.
• Brodie and Donald Streets (at Glengowan Condos)
• May St. and Victoria Ave.
• Red River Road and Court St.
• 215 Red River Road (at walkway to the casino parking lot from Red River Road)

In 2012, camera operators recorded 274 incidents, which were then responded to by Thunder Bay police. They included:

• 102 assaults
• 13 property damage (includes vehicles)
• 17 suspicious activity and 142 drug/alcohol calls

Of those calls:

• 8 needed medical intervention
• 114 calls defused by police
• 65 arrests
• 85 were gone on arrival
• and 2 were marked as "other"

The capital cost of the program was $34,500 in 2012 and its operating budget was $160,100.

Campbell said council should get a report in the fall with recommended locations for the three unused cameras.