The Municipal District of St. Stephen (MDSS) is asking the province to immediately fund security officers for the Lighthouse Lodge, a homeless shelter in the community.
The municipality sent a letter to Premier Susan Holt and several members of her cabinet on Thursday following an announcement of a pilot launched in Moncton. The letter is directly addressed to David Hickey, the minister responsible for the New Brunswick Housing Corporation.
“Your recent public acknowledgment that Lighthouse Lodge should have never been established in its current location is significant,” the letter reads. “It recognizes the concerns of the surrounding neighbourhood and the consequences of placing this facility where it now operates.”
The letter said Hickey’s acknowledgement must be accompanied by concrete action to mitigate the impacts on the community.
In an article published in the Telegraph-Journal on Oct. 21, Hickey told reporters the shelter was in the wrong place.
“It should have never been there,” Hickey told the Telegraph-Journal.
Residents living near the shelter have been raising concerns about alleged violence and drug sales and use at the property at 9 Main Street. Ambulance New Brunswick recorded at least 19 overdoses calls between Sept. 19 and Oct. 19. A recent surge in toxic drug poisonings have heightened concerns in the community.
Public Health has yet to identify the substance behind the toxic drug poisonings. Regional public health officials presented to St. Stephen council in October.
The letter, signed by MDSS Mayor Steve Backman, said that residents, businesses and those working within the shelter are entitled to a safe environment.
“Meeting those needs requires an adequately resourced response that extends beyond the shelter’s doors,” the letter said.
Under the Moncton pilot, municipal bylaw officers will be appointed special constables under the Police Act.
The Department of Justice and Public Safety said special constables would not replace police officers and would not be responsible for criminal investigations or emergency response.
Their role will include:
- community engagement
- public safety patrols
- encampment response
- trespass enforcement
- public education
- conflict resolution
- referrals to social service agencies
- enforcement of specified provincial statutes and municipal bylaws
The letter said it recognizes the importance of the emergency shelter and need for more lasting solutions for homelessness.
“However, the pursuit of supportive housing and other long-term measures does not relieve the province of the need to address conditions in the surrounding neighbourhood today,” the letter said. “Our community cannot reasonably be expected to wait for future housing projects before meaningful mitigation is provided.”
The previous council rejected a transitional housing proposal for 199 Union Street — citing resident concerns and the cost to relocate municipal infrastructure.
Backman told The Courier the province’s approach is disjointed.
“When emergency measures first came to town, we asked them for a number of different issues to coordinate and they just referred us to the departments,” he said. “It’s not up to us as a municipality to coordinate five different government departments.”
He said the council has seen little coordination between provincial departments.
“Your recent public acknowledgment that Lighthouse Lodge should have never been established in its current location is significant,” the letter reads. “It recognizes the concerns of the surrounding neighbourhood and the consequences of placing this facility where it now operates.” – St. Stephen Mayor Steve Backman
The municipality is asking the province to fully fund regular, visible patrols of nearby streets, public spaces and affected properties, with property-owner consent where required. It also wants coverage during evenings, overnight and other periods identified through local experience and incident reporting.
The request calls for personnel trained in de-escalation, crisis response and working respectfully with vulnerable individuals, along with clear coordination between the shelter operator, the municipality and the RCMP, including procedures for reporting concerns and escalating incidents.
Backman said in the letter security confined to the shelter would not adequately respond to the concerns prompting the request.
“We are asking the province to fund the full incremental cost of this service, including supervision, equipment and incident reporting,” Backman said in the letter. “These costs should not be transferred to municipal taxpayers or absorbed by reducing other municipal services.”
Backman goes on to say funding should remain available while the shelter is in its current location.
“Minister, your acknowledgement concerning the location creates a clear expectation of provincial leadership,” Backman said in the letter. “Recognizing that a decision was inappropriate is meaningful only if that recognition leads to action for those living with its consequences.”
The letter asks the province to provide a written response within 15 business days.
Hickey’s executive assistant responded to Backman’s letter, saying provincial departments were reviewing the letter and would respond accordingly.
The Courier has reached out to the Department of Social Development and Neighbourhood Works for comment and is awaiting a response.
