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A newly released report calls for more collaboration between non-profits and all levels of government to address growing homelessness in Moncton.
The report lists 26 calls for action to be completed over the next four years.
“The time for talk is done — or should be done — and the time for action is here,” John Wishart, one of the report’s two authors, said at a news conference Monday.
More than 500 people were chronically homeless in Moncton last fall when the report was drafted, and more people were becoming homeless than moving into housing. The report noted there were more homeless people in Moncton than in Fredericton and Saint John combined.
“We need to do something here,” report co-author Dale Hicks said as three city councillors and two provincial ministers listened.
The calls for action range from changing the mandate of a city homelessness committee to legislative changes.
WATCH | ‘Think inside the box’ to address homelessness, report author says:
Report calls for action on Moncton homelessness
A newly released report says it’s time to move beyond reports and discussions about tackling homelessness in Moncton. The document by a former chamber of commerce leader and a non-profit housing leader includes 26 calls to action.
The report says a shelter on St. George Street called Bridge to Home, near other sites serving homeless people, should be immediately relocated to help “dismantle the ‘ground zero’ of homelessness in Greater Moncton.”
The authors said they were surprised to hear security workers at a location helping homeless people were better paid than the staff providing support services inside. The report calls for better pay for people providing services.
The report stemmed from a 2024 meeting organized by accounting firm Doane Grant Thornton that asked community members to imagine the city in 2030. Wishart said tackling social issues was one of the main topics.
With some funds from the firm, Wishart and Hicks decided to look more closely at what changes are needed. They met with staff from not-for-profits, businesses and government leaders and reviewed previous reports on homelessness.
Wishart is a former CEO of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton. Hicks is president of Rising Tide Community Initiatives, a non-profit housing organization.
“We hope that the report will create the action needed where perhaps we’ve fallen just a bit short in other efforts,” Wishart said.
This report just says we need to co-ordinate it better. We need to collaborate better. We need to work more closely with the provincial government. We need everybody to get on the same page.– Dale Hicks, report co-author
Hicks said that people already know what needs to be done and hopes their report will result in change.
“Sometimes I hear people say ‘This is a complex problem, we really need to think outside the box.’ I’m saying, ‘Guys, why don’t we think inside the box?'” Hicks said.
“This report just says we need to co-ordinate it better. We need to collaborate better. We need to work more closely with the provincial government. We need everybody to get on the same page.”
David Hickey, New Brunswick’s minister responsible for housing, spoke to reporters after the report was released. (Pierre Fournier/CBC)
David Hickey, the province’s minister responsible for housing, welcomed the report and said some of the actions are already being implemented such as a provincial homelessness task force.
Hickey acknowledged the need is greater in Moncton than elsewhere in the province.
“We’re seeing the impact across the province, we’re seeing it in particular and take hold in smaller communities,” Hickey said. “But Moncton has been the outlier in the sheer number of people that are experiencing homelessness here.”
Among the report’s calls for action is for Moncton’s municipal bylaw enforcement officers to become peace officers. That would allow them to carry weapons and enforce laws like the Trespass Act, Motor Vehicle Act, Mental Health Act and Liquor Control Act.
Rob McKee, the province’s justice minister and minister responsible for addictions and mental health, says the peace officer request is being considered. (Pierre Fournier/CBC)
While the city has repeatedly requested that change, the province has yet to amend the Police Act. Hicks said the change would free up RCMP officers, giving them more time to investigate crimes.
Rob McKee, the province’s minister of justice and attorney general, and the minister responsible for mental health and addictions, attended the report’s release.
McKee told reporters he’s aware of discussions about the peace officer request, looking at what the mandate of the officers would be, what training or weapons they would have.
“There’s a number of factors that go into that, and we’re working with the City of Moncton on those issues,” McKee said.
A long-standing call for a mental health court in Moncton is set to begin later this month, McKee said.
The report calls for all three levels of government to make more land available for housing, and for the city to impose a tax on “long-vacant, derelict properties owned by out-of-province interests” to encourage development.
It also calls for a “bunkhouse and tiny home development” similar to the 12 Neighbours project in Fredericton, creating a transitional housing pit stop before people move into other forms of housing.
The report also calls for a new leadership council that would oversee the next steps, including representatives of the business community.
