The North Bay Police say they will respond to any threats to public safety in the Highway 11/17 walking bridge.
The bridge was forced to close on Sunday morning due to a fire which North Bay Fire Department officials say was set by squatters trying to keep warm.
Despite the closure, a handful of squatters were still present while Ministry of Transportation contractors created a temporary fix for the fire-damaged floor.
"The North Bay Police Service continues to investigate an incident that occurred on February 5, 2023, on the Chippewa pedestrian walkway, in which a fire was started. At this time no charges have been laid in relation to the incident," stated David Woolley, communications officer with the North Bay Police Service.
"If members of the public observe criminal activity occurring in the walkway, they should contact the North Bay Police Service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1. If you are reporting a non-emergency, call 705-472-1234," he continued.
See related: Squatters responsible for Chippewa Walking Bridge Fire
See related: Squatters reoccupy fire damaged walking bridge
See related: Light now at the end of the Second Avenue tunnel
Aside from the fire, the walkway can be an intimidating place for young students who commonly will find squatters set up inside the walkway when they head to school in the morning. Students say the glass-covered walkway will have an odour of garbage and cigarette smoke when they walk through in the morning.
The ordeal at the walkway is becoming eerily similar to the ordeal the City of North Bay had to deal with near downtown North Bay.
Back in September of 2022, the City of North Bay took back a tunnel that some downtown workers felt was unsafe to travel through with a homeless encampment inside.
It connects Second and Third Avenue near downtown North Bay and was used as a pedestrian underpass under former CN rail tracks.
In the summer it was not uncommon to see the tunnel cluttered with old furniture and shopping carts along with homeless people who gathered there.
The City of North Bay and North Bay Police did a good job solving that issue, however, who is responsible for the walkway, and who maintains it may make solving this new squatters problem more complicated.
BayToday has reached out to the Ministry of Transportation twice this week with one initial message indicating a response would come from MTO headquarters. Then MTO responded to our request late Tuesday morning by referring BayToday media inquiries regarding the Walking Bridge back to the City of North Bay.
The City of North Bay sent out a statement about the Walking Bridge on Monday afternoon which explained the incident but offered no timeline as to when the Highway 11/17 walking bridge would re-open.
