Petitions call for better security around Thunder Bay waterways after teens' deaths
More than 1,700 people have already signed one on-line petition
At least two petitions are currently circulating calling for more security cameras and better lighting around waterways in Thunder Bay, Ont.
The petitions follow the deaths of 14-year-old Josiah Begg and 17-year-old Tammy Keeash — both of whom were found in the McIntyre River.
A total of seven First Nations teens have been found dead in rivers that run through Thunder Bay since 2000.
Robyn Oram launched her on-line petition because she was feeling discouraged by the on-line negativity that followed the recent deaths, she told CBC.
"I felt like I needed to do something — like what can I do to actually help?" she said. "I was seeing a lot of people saying there should be cameras in these areas, so I thought, 'why don't I start a petition and just see what happens?'"
The initiative was also inspired by a conversation with Oram's mother, she said.
"She actually mentioned to me that if there was better lighting out there, somebody might've seen that boy and wondered, 'Why is this child by the river by himself?' Or maybe if he was assaulted, somebody might've saw something," she said.
Oram's petition has so far gathered more than 1,700 signatures.
The Nishnawbe Aski Nation Oshkaatisak Council is also circulating a petition calling for more lights and security cameras in high-risk areas of the city.