THUNDER BAY – SPECIAL REPORT – Frustration in Thunder Bay is growing. Residents are fed up with cars being broken into, belongings stolen from backyards, and porch pirates boldly stealing packages from doorsteps. Business owners are tired of the very expensive cost of shoplifting and vandalism to their businesses.
Broken windows from rocks or fights outside their shops make the downtown cores looke terrible, and drive away customers.
Sadly, these kinds of incidents have become part of daily life in some neighbourhoods, feeding a sense of helplessness and anger.
But underneath the rash of street crime lies a far more complicated reality—one tied to addiction, trauma, and a deeply entrenched culture that few outside this world understand.
Actually solving the problem means looking underneath at the root causes of crime not just the symptoms.
Behind the Rise in Street Crime: More Than Theft, It’s Survival
Much of the crime residents are experiencing isn’t fuelled by malice, but by desperation.
For many living trapped in the addiction cycle, each day becomes a relentless cycle of trying to secure the drugs needed to get through the next few hours.
This compulsion drives behaviours that spill into neighbourhoods, eroding the sense of safety and trust that communities rely upon.
However, reducing these incidents to mere acts of theft misses the broader social crisis unfolding across Thunder Bay.
Shoplifting manifests itself into racial targeting in retail stores. Over time in Thunder Bay retailers facing major loses are having security in their stores. Often the security is not fully aware of all of the cultural
The Distorted Code of the ‘Underworld’ Culture in Thunder Bay
For those entrenched in what some call the “streets,” or the “underworld,” there exists an unspoken code—an entire subculture where toughness is survival, and vulnerability is a weakness punished harshly.
Within this hidden layer of society, silence is demanded, and violence is normalized.
Victims of harm are often told to “take it,” because speaking out risks being labeled a “rat” or worse.
Retaliation becomes a currency of respect.
This distorted value system perpetuates cycles of harm, addiction, and trauma, turning Thunder Bay’s alleys, parks, and abandoned buildings into invisible battlefields of survival.
Residents see this in the street fights, often unreported violence, unless the victim is taken to hospital and their injuries reported to police.
There is a massive us against them mentality there with the victims of crimes and the people who are preyed on by the drug dealers side with the people harming them, not with people who are trying to help them.
That includes the family members of the drug addict in many cases.
The Gang Problem in Thunder Bay
While not talked about much, Thunder Bay has a gang problem. It is not merely motorcycle gangs, it is street gangs, it is drug dealing, trap houses and human trafficking. It is a huge problem.
It is also not widely talked about.
NetNewsLedger is hearing reports of gangs who are threatening the families of inmates in the correctional system – demanding payment to “keep a family member safe”. This is a serious matter, and yet the power of the gangs mean no family members impacted are willing to report this to police.
Breaking the Cycle: Why Sobriety Means Transforming More Than Substance Use
Sobriety isn’t only about putting down substances—it’s about rewiring a lifetime of thinking patterns shaped by trauma and street survival.
To truly break the cycle, individuals must shed the false sense of identity rooted in toughness and self-isolation. Their gang or thug mentality.
You can often see how that mentality impacts their interactions with other people, quick to anger, fast to feel slighted, and ready to erupt with violence on the turn of a dime.
This personality transformation is profound. It’s about learning that dignity is not found in suffering alone, but in honesty, courage, and seeking support when needed. That isn’t likely to be found on the street, and sadly often isn’t found in some of the very organizations that are supposed help people.
From Silence to Courage: Choosing a New Path in the Face of Crime and Addiction
For those still caught in that cycle of destruction, choosing to stand up—for oneself, for others, even by seeking help from police or community services—can feel like betrayal.
But many who have left the streets behind are now reframing that choice.
They are starting to see that speaking out is not weakness, but as an act of self-respect.
As one former street-involved individual puts it, “If standing up for my well-being makes me a ‘rat,’ I embrace it. I refuse to stay silent when harm is done.”
Conclusions
Thunder Bay’s crime crisis will not be solved by anger alone. Understanding the complex undercurrents driving these behaviours—and offering pathways out of that world—are key steps toward real change.
Until we address the human stories behind the crime, the cycle will continue, hiding in plain sight, just beneath the surface of our city.
