Greater Moncton Business Groups Call for Action on Homelessness and Downtown Crime

Moncton (NB), December 2nd, 2022 – Four organizations representing Greater Moncton’s business community have called on the City of Moncton and Province of New Brunswick to develop an immediate action plan on homelessness and downtown crime.

Representatives from the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton, Downtown Moncton Centre-Ville Inc., 3+ Economic Development Corporation, and Destination Moncton-Dieppe released a shared letter they presented to City of Moncton officials on Friday November 25^th.

The letter urges the city to take a leadership position to deal with rising numbers of homeless individuals and the impact on the region’s business community. At a press conference called by the four groups today, they also called for greater involvement and accountability from the provincial government.

“The number of homeless individuals in Greater Moncton has doubled in just over a year,” Chamber CEO John Wishart said. “Our frontline agencies, health care system and law enforcement cannot keep pace with the impact this is having on our community.”

The four groups say immediate intervention is needed by both levels of government, working together on a short-term plan to reduce the number of homeless and restore order in the city’s downtown.

The joint letter calls for five actions:

• A plan to reduce rising crime in the downtown;
• Adequate shelter and support services to reduce the number of homeless individuals living on both public and private lands, including the estimated 44 tent encampments around the community;
• Establishment of a Mental Health and Addictions Court with corresponding rehabilitation services;
• Adequate mental health and addiction services in the community;
• Additional funding for affordable housing with wraparound services.

Security and criminal activity remain a primary concern of businesses.

“We conducted a quick survey of 21 of the largest property owners in downtown Moncton,” Patrick Richard, executive-director of DMCI, said. “Over the past 18 months, these 21 companies have spent more than $2.4 million in extra security to protect their businesses, staffs and customers.”

The four groups fear the current situation and the rising number of homeless and criminal activity threatens the region’s reputation.

“Affordable housing with the proper wraparound services is fundamental to a housing-first homelessness strategy,” said Susy Campos, CEO of 3+. “The investment in Rising Tide was a good start but isn’t nearly enough to deal with the need we are now seeing.”

The new Destination Moncton-Dieppe group, which was formed to support the region’s tourism and hospitality industry, fears a loss of reputation and visits if Greater Moncton avoids dealing with the issue.

“We deal with group tour operators and meeting planners all the time,” Jillian Somers, CEO of Destination Moncton-Dieppe, said. “They have many, many choices on where to take their clients. We need to do everything we can to protect and build on our reputation as a top place to visit.”

At the meeting with city officials last week, the four groups urged Mayor Dawn Arnold to write an urgent letter to Premier Blaine Higgs, asking for an immediate meeting involving the city, province, business community and frontline agencies. The mayor sent that letter late afternoon on November 25^th. In the meantime, staff from the Department of Social Development met with representatives of the four groups this week to hear their concerns.

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