‘Wait and see’....more from our fence sitter and photo-op mayor Keith Hobbs here in Thunder Bay...

‘Wait and see’

By Jeff Labine, tbnewswatch.com

• 
  Jeff Labine, tbnewswatch.com
  Mayor Keith Hobbs says the situation in Dryden is dire.

The Dryden Observer is reporting that Dryden city council passed a resolution to withhold $79,000 in outstanding fees owed to MPAC. City officials said they felt the corporation had not adequately represented that city’s needs.

The conflict’s genesis was the reassessment of the Domtar mill, which saw its property value dropped by about 72 per cent.

Other municipalities, including Elk Lake and Espanola, also plan to withhold paying fees to MPAC.
Thunder Bay now faces a similar scenario to those other regional municipalities. Resolute Forest Products wants a 60 per cent reduction in its assessment, which would bring the current tax assessment value of Resolute of $72 million to about $29 million.

If Resolute gets what it wants, the city could owe the company as much as $7.5 million in retroactive tax payments from 2009 to 2012.

Mayor Keith Hobbs spoke with Dryden mayor Craig Nuttall and said that Dryden appeared to be a city in a dire situation. He wasn’t sure how the city was going to be able to continue to do business as the residential tax base is already high.

Unlike Dryden, the reassessment of Resolute is still underway and requires approval from MPAC.
Hobbs said they will be speaking with the city’s legal department to fight the assessment, but wanted to wait for the hearing before taking any action.

“To go from $72 million down to $29 million as I’ve said before is ridiculous,” Hobbs said.

“Big corporations have to pay their fair share. We’re going to sure to send that message to MPAC and send that message to the government. We do have a reserve fund but I don’t want to dip into those reserves to pay back millions and millions to big a corporation.”

Hobbs added that he will leave it to council to decide if the city wants to offer support to those communities withholding MPAC payments.

“Mayor Nuttall said he may have to hand back the keys to the province for the town,” he said. “That’s how dire it is for these smaller communities.”

Click here to submit a letter to the editor.

Click here to report a typo or error

(4)

Comments

We've improved our comment system.

DougMyers says:

There is something wrong when MPAC is jaking up residential property values but dramatically lowering those of big corporations.
If I didn't know better I would say this corporation was being strong armed by small "c" conservative ideals.
I thought we had a liberal government?

4/17/2013 2:19:02 PM

 17 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

Winger says:

Big corporations have to pay their FAIR share.
Tell us Hobbs, what does the city provide to Resolute thats worth even the $29 million they are seeking to have their taxes reduced to?
What's fair about it? whats fair about $72 million?
Thats why businesses leave for green pastures. Politicians think they are cash cows and they can use that money for things they dream of. Government is supposed to provide a return for those tax dollars. where is the return? whats fair about raping them 72 million every year?
what do you do to earn that 72 mil? let alone 29 mil?

4/17/2013 3:01:31 PM

 31 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

conker2012 says:

If this falling assessment continues small towns will just disappear and the people will be forced to move to larger centers. The problem will then be where do the workers come from to support the resources industry and who will run the gas stations along the highways?

4/17/2013 3:44:49 PM

 3 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

YellowSnow13 says:

Winger is bang on! If these companies are NOT there then where are you people going to work? I guess Hobbs wants to keep business out of Thunder Bay. He must be Liberal. He should on board with these other communities and get business rolling here again. But nooooo! That takes guts.

4/17/2013 4:44:36 PM

 22 Agree

This is a photo of one of Thunder Bay's best police officers in my opinion...officer Julie Tillbury who I know and have also spoken with in regards to an idea of mine that we have discussed...that is the city of Thunder Bay Police Department have in place an "OFFICER of the MONTH" acknowledgement so I'll have to run that by the Police Department Administration Board as well our chief of police J.P. Lesveque...so I'll get on that as well...stay tuned as to if they will approve my idea.

THIS PICTURE IS WORTH MORE THAN A THOUSAND WORDS WITHOUT QUESTION...North Korean leader Kim Jong-unLMAO..

THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO...Police returning to neighbourhood's...:)

Police returning to neighbourhood's

Kris Ketonen of the CHRONICLE JOURNAL here in the city...a great read...
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 - 08:00


The Thunder Bay police department is overhauling how it deploys its officers and interacts with city residents.

At today’s police services board meeting, representatives of the force will present a new zone policing model and an accompanying Zone Watch Internet initiative, both aimed at creating a crime prevention partnership between the city’s police officers and its residents.

“The impetus behind it was going back to putting our front-line officers back into neighbourhood's,” said Thunder Bay Police Inspt. Sylvie Hauth.
“That’s the idea behind zone policing, is to give them back some ownership of an area, more visibility in an area, and increase the interaction . . . with the citizens of that area.”

On its surface, zone policing is something of a throwback to the neighbourhood policing system of the 1990s, when officers were assigned to various neighbourhoods and operated out of satellite offices.

There were drawbacks to the system, which led Thunder Bay Police to distance themselves from it.

“It started big,” Hauth said.
“We had quite a few offices. It had a really big volunteer aspect, so we were asking community members to be part of committees, to help (by) manning the office, answering phones.

“Not every area had the same response,” Hauth said. “Some areas had a lot better interaction, wanted to be involved, providing time, services. So we eventually shrunk the offices. Some got amalgamated, others . . . were closed.”
The offices couldn’t be staffed constantly by police officers. Specific officers were assigned to specific offices, so if the officer was on vacation, days off, or had to deal with court matters, for example, the office could sit empty for days or even weeks, Hauth said.

“There was really never a lot of continuity,” she said. “I know there was some frustration.”

That shifted into an overall community response approach, Hauth said. It involved a fluctuating deployment, moving people and resources to where they were needed.
“You deploy the team where the problematic areas are,” she said. “They concentrate on that area, fix the problem, identify who’s doing it, lay the charges and then move on.
“It’s more that approach of we’ll go where the issues are and . . . adapt,” Hauth said.
“I’m not saying that hasn’t been successful. However . . . we’re using a very small core of police officers.

“There’s really not that buy-in with the community.”
That will stay in place to a certain extent, Hauth said; the police will retain a team that can move to deal with specific issues in specific neighbourhoods.
“They are still going to be some project plans that may be above and beyond what can be done on the road,” she said. “Something requiring a little more co-ordinated effort, covert, maybe not as blatant as showing up in uniform with a cruiser.”

On the whole, Hauth said, there are some general similarities between zone policing and neighbourhood policing. But there are some important differences, too.
There will not be more satellite police offices springing up in the city. Rather, the interaction and ownership Hauth spoke about will come via assigning officers to a specific zone for a long period of time.

“That way, they get familiar with the zone,” she said. “They know the people that work there, people that aren’t supposed to be there, the usual troublemakers, and the people that live there.

“There’s a rapport that’s being built,” she said.
Officers will be encouraged to get out of the cruiser and walk through their zones and talk with residents, Hauth said.

The new system will be rolled out in the fall after the organizational work and training is done.

The city will be divided into six zones to replace the current beat system, which breaks Thunder Bay into 26 areas.

To designate the zones, police looked at the volume and types of calls each area of the city receives, Hauth said.

“We created a committee, which included members from the various levels of the uniform patrol,” she said. “We looked at how we do business currently — what are the calls that are coming in? Where do we spend most of our time? What are the really, really big calls for service that are really draining our resources, where officers are sometimes there for three, four, five, six hours at a time?”

Data from November 2011 to November 2012 was used in the study.
Police were able to determine the kinds of calls they receive most often. The top calls are traffic stops, follow-up investigations, Liquor Licence Act violations, motor vehicle collisions, abandoned 911 calls and domestic incidents.

More importantly, they were able to determine where the calls are coming from. That, Hauth said, allowed the department to map out the six zones in such a way that the call volume is distributed equally.

That’s a key difference from the beat system.

The beat areas aren’t equal in terms of call volumes. For example, the beat encompassing the downtown south core is one of the smaller ones, but it’s also the busiest for police.

At the same time, police will, through public education efforts, attempt to cut down on the number of non-police calls — such as noise complaints, which are bylaw matters — that officers are directed to deal with.
Meanwhile, police are gearing up to launch Zone Watch. The recruitment of its first members begins today.

Zone Watch is a private, police-run site. Members have to apply and go through training sessions covering the basics of policing, which will allow them to discuss issues pertaining to their specific zone, police executive officer Chris Adams said.
“It’s to replace community policing as it used to exist,” Adams said. “It’s to take us back to connecting directly, but in a constructive way.

“It’s going to feel very much like social, collaborative media,” he said.
“They’re going to be able to post comments about what’s happening in their neighbourhood, they’re going to be able to dialogue with fellow Zone Watch members and the police.

“It allows all of us in policing to basically be able to have a secure tunnel of communication.”

Zone Watch will not be a replacement for 911, nor will it be a place to report a crime, Const. Julie Tilbury said.

“It’s a place for you to dialogue, to explain what you think is going on in your neighbourhood . . . to come up with constructive ways that the police and the citizens can work together to help with crime prevention,” said Tilbury.

Zone Watch members will be the only ones with access to the site; non-members won’t be able to browse comments, for example. Some ideas will be shared with the public in other ways, Adams said.

The idea for Zone Watch came out of a realization that officers have to communicate with the public in a more open and constructive manner, he said.

“We needed to look at everything,” Adams said. “We really needed to look at our corporate website. . . . We also needed to look at our social media.”

The Zone Watch project, as well as the new corporate website, are being funded through a provincial government grant, Adams said.

More information is to be made available at today’s meeting of the Thunder Bay Police Services Board.

City of Thunder Bay, Ontario...In my honest opinion...this man is the best of the best in our city administration...he is definitely the one person to contact in the city to have your problem addressed promptly and most professionally. Darrell Matson - General Manager Infrastructure & Operations Department 111 Syndicate Ave South PO Box 800 Thunder Bay, ON P7C 5K4 Phone 807-625-2137 Fax 807-625-3588 E-mail: dmatson@thunderbay.ca

In my honest opinion...this man is the best of the best in our city administration...he is definitely the one person to contact in the city to have your problem addressed promptly and most professionally.

Darrell Matson - General Manager
Infrastructure & Operations Department
111 Syndicate Ave South
PO Box 800
Thunder Bay, ON P7C 5K4
Phone 807-625-2137
Fax 807-625-3588
E-mail: dmatson@thunderbay.ca

Does anyone out there remember this EPIC FAILURE (TORNADO MEDICAL) which was funded by both the City of Thunder Bay and the Province of Ontario.????

I have applied to be on the board of directors of HAGI Transport...here in Thunder BayI submitted my documentation to the now departed C.E.O. Cal Rankin...I will follow up with David Shannon today.

Good evening THUNDER BAY...my friend HENRY WOJACK is presently making a deputation to the city council during their weekly council meeting this evening...the mayor and city council and administration have stated that they will do the JUNOT AVENUE corridor road widening from the "RENEW THUNDER BAY FUND"

Good evening THUNDER BAY...my friend HENRY WOJACK is presently making a deputation to the city council during their weekly council meeting this evening...the mayor and city council and administration have stated that they will do the JUNOT AVENUE corridor road widening from the "RENEW THUNDER BAY FUND"..which as per our by-laws they are not allowed to do..this fund was only to be accessed if matching funding was received from the Federal and Provincial levels of government...which we DID NOT receive...so as usual I just wanted to let you the residents and taxpayers of Thunder Bay what they are doing with your tax dollars...

 

Photo's taken by Jim Gamble on Sunday, April 14th, 2013...here in Thunder Bay, Ontario...Well these are 2 friends now...this is CAROL and DONNA...I wanted them to meet one another and so they did last evening...we all made and had dinner together...and Carol has now adopted DONNA go figure...:)

Thunder Bay, Ontario readers thoughts on the arrest made last week by mayor Keith Hobbs at the Thunder bay Community Auditorium...RANDY P. who was the man arrested has suffered a concussion as a result of the way he was handled and thrown to the ground.

READ THESE TBNewswatch on-line reader comments about mayor HOBBS thinking he as some call him in their posts...BATMAN...SUPERMAN...I call him simply a bad joke as a mayor and leader of Thunder Bay...

damanisback says:
Reply to this comment.
story on lawsuit to follow
4/9/2013 8:23:24 PM
Recommended 68 times. 68 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

Swirly-Q says:
Reply to this comment.
"When I got him outside he started resisting so I just grounded him."

If some random guy grabs you, pushes you around and tells you I'm under arrest, I think "resisting" is probably a reasonable reaction.

Does our mayor regard himself as Batman? He shouldn't. He's going to get himself in trouble again and the taxpayer will, again, have to pay for it.
4/9/2013 8:42:16 PM
Recommended 111 times. 111 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

ring of fire dude says:
Reply to this comment.
Batman for sure , but what about Joe Virdiramo ? Det. Frank Cannon perhaps ?
4/9/2013 11:45:56 PM
Recommended 46 times. 46 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

PanzerIV says:
Reply to this comment.
The guy was a cop for how many years. He been shot at how many times? I'm sure he can safely handle a citizens arrest. Being a police officer who dealt with a lot of intoxicated people (which thunder bay is famous for) he obviously knows what the limits are. He didn't go out of his way looking for trouble but the guy left him no choice. With no security at the event and with a police background would you let someone sit there and swear at people? When would you have stepped in? When he started throwing punches? If he was that agitated it would have easily made it to that level.

(from the Canadian criminal code on citizens arrest)494.(1) Any one may arrest without warrant b) a person who, on reasonable grounds, he believes (i) has committed a criminal offence, and

(opinion) While being intoxicated in public is only a summary offense, police officers will typically arrest because the person becomes a danger to themselves.Mayor Hobbs was well within his rights as was anyone else there
4/10/2013 12:06:08 AM
Recommended 181 times. 181 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
Kirkage says:
Reply to this comment.
I doubt the mayor will sue.
4/9/2013 9:03:46 PM
Recommended 40 times. 40 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

dee16 says:
Reply to this comment.
" I love what I'm doing now" ... Which is what exactly??
4/9/2013 9:03:50 PM
Recommended 71 times. 71 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

SomeGuy says:
Reply to this comment.
In other news Mayor Hobbs saves kitten from tree, TBnewswatch commenters lambast him for climbing a tree wasting tax payer money, says tree's should all be replaced with bushes.
4/9/2013 9:19:57 PM
Recommended 98 times. 98 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

Swirly-Q says:
Reply to this comment.
Hey, I'm all for cracking down on public drunkenness and unruly behaviour but this mayor's bravado has cost us before in legal bills. I'm hoping it doesn't again.
4/10/2013 7:59:01 AM
Recommended 25 times. 25 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

Nanoo says:
Reply to this comment.
lol.. thats awesome! good job Mayor!
4/9/2013 9:22:40 PM
Recommended 253 times. 253 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

brooky says:
Reply to this comment.
Was this such an emergency that he couldn't have called the cops? The station is a minute away. Ridiculous.
4/9/2013 9:25:13 PM
Recommended 48 times. 48 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

mystified says:
Reply to this comment.
Good call Mr. Hobbs.

None of you were there and know nothing more than what you are reading in the news report so mind your own business. It doesn't matter who, what, when or why, you miserable people will always input your negative comments.
4/9/2013 9:44:18 PM
Recommended 270 times. 270 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

RBosch says:
Reply to this comment.
Obviously, not one of the commentors above attended the meeting. I did, and it was quite evident the man was not in a proper state of mind. He first spoke out during the presentation from his seat at the far end of a row, near the front, swearing once. Mr. Lindsay responded to him with an answer and that seemed to satisfy him, at least temporarily. A short time later, again during the presentation, the man rose from his seat and walked along his row towards the near end and spouted obscenites, directed at the presenter and all within earshot. He left the end of his row and the Mayor rose from his seat at the first row and approached the man, directly in fr9nt of myself. The man knew who was excorting him from the hall, as he addressed Mr. Hobbs as "mister mayor". He left the hall with the Mayor and a couple of others escorting him. I do not know what happened outside, but I do know the man was agitated inside the hall Thank you Mr. Mayor.
4/9/2013 9:54:30 PM
Recommended 173 times. 173 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

Vanity says:
Reply to this comment.
dee16 "Sleeping on the leather couch" , then "A walk about"
4/9/2013 11:24:55 PM
Recommended 15 times. 15 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

dee16 says:
Reply to this comment.
Those "Wednesday walk abouts" seem to really be helping the stabbings, robbings, arson's,drug problems, and alcohol problems in this city haven't heard about one in the past couple of hours....
4/10/2013 12:19:54 AM
Recommended 17 times. 17 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
mystified says:
Reply to this comment.

You are grasping for straws with your Mayor bashing comment.
There could be 10,000 police officers in this city and it would do nothing to stop the stabbings, robberies, arsons, alcohol and drug problems.
These problems will continue until the end of time as they are mental health issues that nobody has any control over.
4/10/2013 9:41:45 AM
Recommended 34 times. 34 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

dee16 says:
Reply to this comment.
Heres an idea, find the ROOT of the problem...I can TELL you what it is. Narcotics is a huge problem in this city, when people need, they rob. The stabbings and murders I can TELL you is NOT random. A lot of the times it is because people owe money for drugs, or are mugging them for the drugs. As a person who is around the same age as a lot of these criminals and victims and I am well aware of the issues going on, and have seen it first hand.Instead of spending money on things like "light up hockey sticks that tell a story" at the marina, why not spend it on drug programs, and support groups, sure there might already be some in this city but are the put out there in the open. When I was in high school and college there was minimal if ANY awareness of these programs. Sure I understand the idea of beautifying the waterfront and the city, but is it really beautiful to be walking down at the water front and seeing emergency response services there because someone got hurt?
4/10/2013 10:49:17 AM
Recommended 2 times. 2 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

musicferret says:
Reply to this comment.
Dee, you are correct. Mystified, your comment about 10000 police officers doing nothing is also correct.

We need to stop spending money on police and start spending on the root of the problem. Raises for cops does NOTHING to help combat crime.
4/10/2013 2:37:18 PM
Recommended 14 times. 14 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

The Badger Mountain Hermit says:
Reply to this comment.
I thought poor police wages were all the problem here.
4/12/2013 10:04:09 AM
Recommended 1 times. 1 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

tiredofbull$ says:
Reply to this comment.
Another one of Hobb's pubblicity stunts, how much did he pay the man to act up! Also to Tbnewswatch = what happened to the Resolute tax story you had earlier today, pretty hard to find now, but I am sure this will not get printed.
4/10/2013 1:20:03 AM
Recommended 20 times. 20 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

moi says:
Reply to this comment.
Pretty sure the Resolute tax story wound-up in the same place as the story about everyone's favorite employer...Bucky.
4/10/2013 10:10:38 AM
Recommended 19 times. 19 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

nvjgu says:
Reply to this comment.
So if Mr Hobbs Touched him, couldn't he be charged with assault.
4/10/2013 3:48:05 AM
Recommended 11 times. 11 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

Molly says:
Reply to this comment.
Good Job Mr. Mayor
A man of action!
4/10/2013 6:47:14 AM
Recommended 66 times. 66 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

itshell says:
Reply to this comment.
Nanoo says...
lol.. thats awesome! good job Mayor

I agree
4/10/2013 6:49:15 AM
Recommended 47 times. 47 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
living in hogtown says:
Reply to this comment.
typical thunder bay mentality, nobody does anything, people sit there like yo yos, than once the mayor got involved, a couple other people decided to get off their butts and help out. Why didn't the former police officer escort the man out of the hall before the mayor had to get involved.
4/10/2013 7:14:15 AM
Recommended 34 times. 34 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

NICOLEWINTERS says:
Reply to this comment.
Good for Hobbs! He is a citizen, just like anyone else. I'd like to see you people have the balls to do the honorable thing, instead the majority of tbay looks the other way when they see crime, domestic disputes, an old lady fall or a child being abused. Don't point your dirty little fingers unless your hands are clean.

Good job Mayor Hobbs!! there is just something so sexy about that man and his confidence =)
4/10/2013 7:52:25 AM
Recommended 66 times. 66 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
p.o.ed taxpayer says:
Reply to this comment.
just a question...does a person's citizen powers of arrest include "causing a disturbance"?
4/10/2013 8:01:44 AM
Recommended 15 times. 15 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

loring says:
Reply to this comment.
DOES THE AUDITORIUM NOT HIRE SECURITY FOR THESES EVENTS AND IF HOBBS WAS ACTING AS MAYOR AT THE TIME OF SAID EVENT SHOULD HE NOT BE TREATED AS AN
EMPLOYEE OF THE CITY ,ZERO TOLERANCE OF VIOLENCE?????
4/10/2013 8:03:02 AM
Recommended 25 times. 25 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
DougMyers says:
Reply to this comment.
Glad to see our mayor is a man of action. many would just have waited for violence to errupt and than call for police.

Anyone could have done the same but few would have had the courage.

Keep it up, you still have my vote.
4/10/2013 8:19:43 AM
Recommended 38 times. 38 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
joey joe joe jr. shabadoo says:
Reply to this comment.
...lol.....he grounded that guy.....

took away his cellphone,
tv & car privileges away for 3 weeks...
4/10/2013 8:31:19 AM
Recommended 19 times. 19 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
Glyder says:
Reply to this comment.
Man, you negative people have nothing better to do than bash people and find something negative in everything on this site.

Pathetic.

And loring, really? All CAPS? I didn't even bother to read what you wrote.
4/10/2013 8:37:01 AM
Recommended 21 times. 21 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

chezhank says:
Reply to this comment.
What was said during the presentation that got this gentleman so upset?
Was it recorded somewhere?
4/10/2013 8:47:30 AM
Recommended 12 times. 12 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

B
tiredofthebs says:
Reply to this comment.
Are you people serious????? Causing a disturbance.... Charged with assault.... zero tolerance of violence... Lawsuit? Give your head a shake. Maybe Hobbs should have grabbed this guy and dropped him off on your doorstep to see how you would have handled the situation.
4/10/2013 9:21:08 AM
Recommended 42 times. 42 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

barry medawin says:
Reply to this comment.
Sometimes we NEED to be loud to get our message out to these fatcats. I commend the man and know exactly what he was trying to say before they censored him.
4/10/2013 9:47:11 AM
Recommended 8 times. 8 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

chezhank says:
Reply to this comment.
It would be nice if the media would follow up and see what message the gentleman was trying to get out before he was silenced.
4/10/2013 10:52:40 AM
Recommended 18 times. 18 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

fastball says:
Reply to this comment.
It would be just as nice if the "gentleman" involved could have presented his message in a civil manner - say, without being drunk and having to resort to shouting obscene vulgarities at a public meeting.

4/10/2013 11:02:03 AM
Recommended 43 times. 43 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

Baor says:
Reply to this comment.
Must hit home eh hank?
4/10/2013 9:01:40 PM
Recommended 5 times. 5 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
fastball says:
Reply to this comment.
I've got no problem with this - too often, good people have to endure the poor manners and idiocy of others.
It seems that in their zeal to proclaim "free speech", that some people forget that occasionally you have to take responsibility for what comes out of your mouth.
I just wonder if it was anyone OTHER than Mr. Hobbs, would we have the same amount of negative comments.
4/10/2013 10:13:33 AM
Recommended 28 times. 28 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

Me n My Opinion says:
Reply to this comment.
What precedent does this set?

Will the excuse of "I was putting him under citizens arrest" be sufficient to replace an assault charge? Why are citizens arrests even allowed? Can I jump out of my truck and pull someone out of their car, throw them to the ground and tell them they're under arrest because I saw them texting?

I think the Mayor could have taken charge of the situation the same as a regular non-former-cop-citizen would have. Call the police, attempt to contain him non-physically, and IF NECESSARY, then use limited force. If he had engaged him verbally, there would have been any numnber of people stand up and assist if necessary. Usually that quells the situation in itself.

I wasn't there, so I don't know the specifics, but I've been involved in enough similar incidents that have been resolved without any physical contact. Unless this case was pretty extreme, I think the Mayor set a bad example. It opens the door for others who think they know the law.
4/10/2013 10:19:29 AM
Recommended 26 times. 26 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

unionbay880 says:
Reply to this comment.
I don't think the cops can arrest someone for texting while driving. They also can't "throw people to the ground" just because they are being arrested. So you probably can't either. Question answered. Unless you were trying to be sarcastic, then you just look silly.
4/10/2013 12:24:30 PM
Recommended 9 times. 9 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

Me n My Opinion says:
Reply to this comment.
The questions weren't sarcastic. They're very serious. What can a citizen do or not do? Police can and do charge people for texting while driving, although not as much as I wish they would. And from Mr Hobbs' quote above "he started resisting so I just grounded him.”

Can I do that?

So you answered the question, but not with an answer that makes any sense. Why can't I place a driving texter under arrest and "ground him" if he resists? What's stopping me from doing that if the Mayor is allowed to?
4/10/2013 1:07:12 PM
Recommended 8 times. 8 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

Synical says:
Reply to this comment.
You missed the part about texting while driving NOT being an arrest worthy offense, apparently. If the police can't arrest for texting while driving, then why should you be able to?

However, if someone is being assaulted, you can perform a citizens arrest to detain the assailant. And yes, you can physically force him to the ground in the process, while you wait for the police.

What part of this is difficult to understand?
4/10/2013 1:58:25 PM
Recommended 6 times. 6 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
Molly says:
Reply to this comment.
The definition of a Peace Officer includes a Mayor.
A friend of mine educated me on this definition
4/10/2013 10:40:37 AM
Recommended 18 times. 18 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

wabagoon says:
Reply to this comment.
You know it alls need to familiarize yourself s with the law before you write moronic comments!!!
4/10/2013 10:47:14 AM
Recommended 41 times. 41 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
aLK says:
Reply to this comment.
Good job Mr. Mayor!!
4/10/2013 10:59:44 AM
Recommended 29 times. 29 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

gone for good says:
Reply to this comment.
The guy was acting like a complete ass. The mayor dealt with it. I say,,,Thank you for stepping up to the plate and dealing with this doink.
4/10/2013 11:02:36 AM
Recommended 38 times. 38 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
spooner19 says:
Reply to this comment.
Good for him to step in and deal with the idiot. You people just seem to bash him for anything he does, what you have done ran the other way and let this person get out of control and assault someone? He knows how to deal with these type of individual and thats what he did. Nice to see we have a mayor that is not afraid to step in just because of what people may think of him. The intoxicated idiot got what he deserved.
4/10/2013 11:55:44 AM
Recommended 28 times. 28 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

CSCSS says:
Reply to this comment.
wow he must feel like a hero
4/10/2013 12:38:19 PM
Recommended 10 times. 10 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
joey joe joe jr. shabadoo says:
Reply to this comment.
@NICOLEWINTERS:

...dang girl!
4/10/2013 12:44:03 PM
Recommended 3 times. 3 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
chezhank says:
Reply to this comment.
Are there any video cameras under the canopy of the auditorium to see what took place....in the take down?
If there are, I hope they were up and running and the video is available.
4/10/2013 1:06:35 PM
Recommended 16 times. 16 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

keiths31 says:
Reply to this comment.
And if there was and they show that everyone official involved did everything by the book...will you give it a rest?
4/10/2013 1:37:37 PM
Recommended 11 times. 11 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
chezhank says:
Reply to this comment.
Yes,it would remove any suspicion of doubt.
4/10/2013 4:41:31 PM
Recommended 13 times. 13 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

rammstein says:
Reply to this comment.
Mayor did the right thing! People need to learn respect in this city. aint noboby got time for that.
4/10/2013 1:26:12 PM
Recommended 32 times. 32 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
Tim H. says:
Reply to this comment.
Im sorry, but this mayor is a chump. He's trying to be a hero.

I wonder which words were so offensive that it warranted a physical assault by the mayor?

Why not just call the police? There was no matter of urgency that warranted such a ridiculous display of bravado.

The Mayor is supposed to be fighting crime by addressing the administration and political issues facing us. Not pulling stupid stunts like this.

Hes an embarrassment to us all.
4/10/2013 5:25:01 PM
Recommended 55 times. 55 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

Baor says:
Reply to this comment.
"He's an embarrassment to us all."
Speak for yourself. I am proud my mayor did something like this.
4/10/2013 9:00:01 PM
Recommended 14 times. 14 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
RBosch says:
Reply to this comment.
I guess you negative, Mayor bashing folks, just don't get it. As I posted earlier, the Mayor was in close prozimity to the man, once the man walked the length of the row, all the while spouting obscenities all the way and I would have to say he was posturing in an agressive manner. The Mayor did NOt grab the man in a forceful manner, but did turn him towards the back of the hall and then escoted the man up the aisle, followed by several others on the way.

Barry Medowin, I find your comments "Sometimes we NEED to be loud to get our message out to these fatcats. I commend the man and know exactly what he was trying to say before they censored him" as absolutely stupid. The man interrupted the presenter while he was mentioning the need to increase the transmission lines to the Remote Communities, with rather vulgar and foul language. He was a caucasion man and I find it incomprhensible that you, as a supposed member of a FN, would want to support this man.
4/10/2013 6:49:23 PM
Recommended 9 times. 9 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

animiki says:
Reply to this comment.
I disagree with a lot of things the Mayor has done, but not this. What he did was legal, he appeared to use reasonable force (I guess if the drunk guy wants to push it, he could try to test that in court), and he took control of a situation in which someone--including drunk guy--could have been hurt. He did the right thing. Criticize the Mayor if you must, but do it for the right reasons, for policy failures or municipal mismanagement--not simply because you don't like the guy and will criticize him simply for breathing. It just makes those doing so in this thread look hysterical and childish.
4/10/2013 7:00:28 PM
Recommended 11 times. 11 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

Tiredofit says:
Reply to this comment.
He did the right thing, unlike most who turn a blind eye and hope t disappears like the vast majority would do. What he did was perfectly and within ALL of our rights.
4/11/2013 6:56:58 AM
Recommended 8 times. 8 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

glass half full says:
Reply to this comment.
MR Hobbs, Two thumbs up for your actions... To bad you didnt bounce this guys face off the pavement a few times.

Seriously Mr Hobbs did what any able bodied person SHOULD do in a situation. The fact of the matter is we do not have enough police to be everywhere all of the time. I would do the exact same thing.

People take pride in our city take ownership and fix the idiots who make us look bad.

MR Hobbs in my opinion is the BEST mayor Thunder Bay has had in years.

4/11/2013 8:03:17 AM
Recommended 7 times. 7 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

dad3192 says:
Reply to this comment.
Me n...no you can't arrest someone for texting and driving. It isn't an arrestable offence under the highway traffic act.
The Criminal Code does have arrest provisions for "anyone" who finds someone in the commission of a criminal offence "may arrest"....not just a police or peace officer
4/11/2013 11:39:25 AM
Recommended 2 times. 2 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

Me n My Opinion says:
Reply to this comment.
After reading the comment attached to mine above, I did some research. My understanding of what "arrest" meant was wrong. I thought that in order to be charged, you also had to be arrested, but that's not the case. There are certain offences for which a citizens arrest is allowed, and certain others that they are not.

Learning that doesn't really change my concern, which is, without knowing the law, how does one do a citizens arrest? How do you know when you can or cannot? What offences and what circumstances have to be in play? Why are they allowed? How much vigilante justice can be hidden behind the excuse of "I was placing him under citizens arrest"?

If the Mayor hadn't been deemed a Peace Officer, would his "arrest" have been legitimate, or would he have committed an assault because the offence was not one that that a citzen could enforce?

The whole idea of citizens arrest just seems like a really slippery slope to me.
4/11/2013 2:18:06 PM
Recommended 11 times. 11 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

Synical says:
Reply to this comment.
You're still not getting it. A person is not CHARGED for texting while driving. They are fined. That's it. There's no arrest, no charges. Therefore, your analogy needs to be tossed out.

What is the purpose in bringing up hypotheticals when this situation is so simple? You say "if the mayor hadn't been deemed a peace officer". The FACT is he is an ex-police officer. He IS aware of what citizens arrests are legitimate, and you apparently are not. Are you just digging for something complain about in regards to the mayor?
4/13/2013 2:31:51 PM
Recommended times. Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

chucky87 says:
Reply to this comment.
Now to help combat crime in this city perhaps the the Mayor can help combat the drunk person situation in thunder bay. Seems like EVERY night there is a slew of drunks causing problems near the corner of Brodie and Victoria. There is lots of criminal activity going on in this area. Help us Mayor Batman
4/11/2013 4:59:46 PM
Recommended 11 times. 11 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

moi says:
Reply to this comment.
LOL...Luv it!

Pipe in the theme music..."Look! Up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane ...no.. it's MAYOR BATMAN!!"
4/12/2013 12:17:31 PM
Recommended 12 times. 12 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

jimbotbay says:
Reply to this comment.
TOTALLY lol`ing at all the people who ALWAYS find something to complain about, and its always the same people. If there was a job position in this city for " professional Whiners", the unemployment situation would disappear overnight... but then one of the constant whiners would complain because theres no more jobs available.

The mayor is a former police officer and former police chief who used the very skills he was trained with to rather gently subdue some cementhead who was disrupting a public meeting. If he'd done nothing, the same people would be complaining about THAT.

I may not always agree with his policies, but in this case, seriously, whats the problem? What is wrong with you people. Constant complaining just for the sake of complaining... something Thunder Bay, sadly, does NOT have a shortage of.

Well Done, Mayor Hobbs.
4/11/2013 8:32:35 PM
Recommended 1 times. 1 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate
KennyS says:
Reply to this comment.
Little Timmy H, you are the true embarrassment here, NOT the mayor. Grow up and stop being a cranky old man
4/12/2013 12:19:10 PM
Recommended 15 times. 15 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

whatelseisnew says:
Reply to this comment.
Assault is not a way to shut someone up! I'd like to know what they guy that was tackled was trying to say. It must have been pretty good to have the town Chief pretend to be an officer he clearly isn't! So what I've learned from this is next time I see someone breaking the law I'm allowed to play Police Officer....MINT!! And if I get in trouble I'll just say I was doing what the mayor did and its acceptable!
4/12/2013 4:09:38 PM
Recommended 11 times. 11 Agree
Flag as Inappropriate

RBosch says:
Reply to this comment.
It was not what the man had to say (his topic of discussio) but rather the manner in which he chose to discuss it that was the crux of the matter. He extreme vulgarness in a public forum was totally uncalled for and the manner in which he attempted to approach the presenter certainly were cause for concern. The Mayor did the right thing in his initial intervention. along with John Mason of the CEDC and they escorted the man from the auditorium. I would like to thing that others would have intervened as well, should the matter not been headed off by the Mayor.

 

Monday, April 15th, 2013..mayor Keith Hobbs all SHAM and NO WOW factor....pictures in Thunder Bay, Ontario on this oh so SNOWY MONDAY. :0

Just a few photo's from today's travels...for the most part I'm catching up on email messages...compiling documentation to further address all the B.S. that is going on in the city of THUNDER BAY...I'm not taking any time for myself today what so ever...way too much to do as far as the problems that plague all who live and reside and pay taxes here...as well I still have to hear back from a couple of city law firms with regards to the so called arrest made by mayor Keith Hobbs and the police last Thursday at the Community Auditorium...keep in mind folks that man RANDY P. has suffered a concussion from that incident.!!!

 

 

THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO photos of the mess in this yard as well the pile of shopping carts and garbage on the street directly across from it...shameful is all I can say at this point in time. :(

I did a drive by this morning over to the EAST END where I previously took these photo's and also emailed city of Thunder Bay manager Tim Commisso as well city manager Darrell Matson requesting that this mess and shopping carts be cleaned up and removed...well as of noon today they are still there as is the garbage piled in the front yard of this house...looks like I'll have to email them both again as well Ron Bourrett who is the By-Law Enforcement manager for the city of Thunder Bay...so I'm on it folks..;)

The EDITORIAL from Monday, April 15th, 2013 Chronicle Journal...a MUST READ.!!!

Please be sure whom to call

Monday, April 15, 2013

 

In last year’s citizen satisfaction survey about 28 per cent of respondents said they or someone in their family was a direct victim of a crime in Thunder Bay. Of that 28 per cent, more than 70 per cent said they reported that crime to police.

That, in itself, is interesting for two reasons. First, nationally, only about 33 per cent of crime victims report their crime (the local number flies in the face of recent rhetoric that states people are afraid of the local police force, but we digress).

Second, part of the reason that number is so high is that police in Thunder Bay routinely get calls about things that don’t fall remotely within the realm of core police services.
Noise complaints, such as barking dogs, fall under the purview of bylaw enforcement, for example. The same goes for finding a used syringe in the back lane — there are agencies that specifically deal with retrieval and disposal of these potential hazards.

Police aren’t the only emergency service that’s forced to deal with calls better responded to by someone else.

Superior North EMS paramedics routinely deal with psycho-social issues, for example. Sometimes people don’t have shelter, or they’re in need of a meal or spiritual support. Sometimes those same people are dealing with a mental illness. It can be understandable that they’d call 911.
And, more importantly, better safe than sorry. That man passed out in the alley may just be drunk and sleeping it off. He may also be in legitimate need of emergency medical care — of course any concerned passer-by will call 911, as they should.

The fact is, however, that in many cases, police and paramedics aren’t always the best equipped when it comes to dealing with certain issues. Some of it can be offset by public education. The police are moving toward that, putting the word out about services — such as those that dispose of used syringes — in the hopes the calls will go to the right place.

Paramedics in Thunder Bay are now subscribing to a community approach, whereby they can work with police and get those in need of specific social services in touch with a caseworker who can help in ways that don’t require hours and hours in the hospital or at the police station.

It could all be streamlined if more people made use of the 211 number instead of 911, but, again, these are often very vulnerable people who are in need of specific supports that are often difficult to navigate.
However, in some cases, we should do what we can to avoid tying up the emergency dispatchers and freeing up police and paramedics to perform their core services.

Barking dogs, for example, are not a police concern. That’s bylaw, and bylaw should be the first call. If in doubt, call 211.

It’s a tough balancing act, to be sure. It’s not fair to ask anybody to refrain from calling 911 when they truly believe it’s necessary. On the other hand, using your best judgment may make considerable difference for our local emergency workers struggling under very heavy workloads.

Sunday..April 14th, 2013...Email message to Tim Commisso and Darrell Matson of the city of Thunder Bay...C.c. to Keith Hobbs mayor.

 

 

EMAIL MESSAGE SENT TODAY TO CITY of Thunder Bay Managers Tim Commisso and Darrell Matson...I'll see to it this mess gets dealt with on an A.S.A.P. basis...on that you can rely and bet...for its a bet that you will all win. :)

From: Jim Gamble <jimgamble1954@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 14, 2013 at 12:14 PM
Subject: Can you please have the property owner in the EAST END of our city clean up this mess...
To: dmatson@thunderbay.ca, "TCommisso@thunderbay.ca" <tcommisso@thunderbay.ca>

Date: Sunday, April 14th, 2013

Good afternoon Darrell and Tim,

Can you please have the property owner in the EAST END of our city clean up this mess...please see the attached-enclosed photo...also directly across the street are a group of abandoned shopping carts littering the city street.
You can see the address marked up this 3 unit row house...trust me you cannot miss this pile of garbage in the front yard of all places.
THIS REALLY is such an eye-sore as well goes against our city by-laws so could you please send this to Ron in our city by-law enforcement office as well....in return please advise when this scenario will be addressed.
Thank you both in advance and enjoy this day off from work.

Take care and be well always.

Sincerely...Jim

 

From the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium for the "Mining Rediness Strategy ".....

This is what gives blondes a bad name!....

http://broke-girls-do-bad-things.com/blonde-on-an-escalator/

VIDEO-He Shoots

FUNNY TOOTHPASTE COMMERCIAL

BUDWISER DOG.....VIDEO...

Why engineers should not play football...? ;)

If you need to rent an affordable car or truck call upon Jerry or Bill to fill that need...tell them I sent you their way okay..:)

This VICTORIA AVENUE business...WILLIAMS CARTAGE...has to do some repairs..check out the water fall...OMG is what I was thinking...

Video number 3 of 3 from yesterdays fire at the house on the corner of Donald and Vickers Streets...check them out..:)

Video number 2 of 3 from yesterdays fire at the house on the corner of Donald and Vickers Streets...check them out..:)

Video number 1 of 3 from yesterdays fire at the house on the corner of Donald and Vickers Streets...check them out..:)