Crime survey shows mixed results among municipal candidates in Greater Moncton area

A Moncton anti-crime group says 57 per cent of municipal candidates did not respond to their survey on public safety.

An anti-crime coalition has released the results of a survey it sent to all 62 candidates running for office in the Greater Moncton area.

In a news release, the Enough is Enough coalition said 57 per cent of candidates from Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe, N.B., did not respond to the survey on public safety, while seven candidates who did respond declined to call public safety a crisis.

Enough is Enough was formed in the fall of 2025 by a group of business owners and residents who are urging the federal, provincial and municipal governments to do more to reduce crime in the area, specifically downtown Moncton.

Coalition spokesperson Patrick Gillespie said the survey was sent to candidates because they feel voters have a right to know where their potential representatives stand on public safety.

“Silence is not neutral. Silence sends a strong message. And on election day, voters should remember who chose not to answer or who believes this is not one of the most important issues our community is facing,” said Gillespie in the release.

In an interview with CTV News Atlantic on Wednesday, Gillespie said he was disappointed with the lack of responses, particularly in Moncton.

“It’s disappointing that folks didn’t take the time to explain what their positions are so that when we vote we can vote in confidence that somebody is going to step up and try to address this,” said Gillespie.

He says he knows people are busy, but said the survey was sent a few weeks ago and only took a few minutes to complete.

“We tried to send it out in a manner that was easy to access. It was only a six-minute survey, on average, the time it took to do it,” said Gillespie.

In Moncton, eight candidates did not respond to the survey, including Shawn Crossman and Jeffrey McCluskey, who are running for mayor.

CTV News Atlantic reached out to the candidates for comment and has heard back from several.

Crossman said he received the survey but did not respond in time.

He thinks the coalition should have given him a heads up a few days in advance to make sure he got his response submitted on time.

He also says he believes a statement made by Enough is Enough in their news release was very damaging.

“Crossman has made public safety a centrepiece of his mayoral campaign, repeatedly and publicly stating it is a top priority,” Enough is Enough stated in the release. “He did not respond to the only survey sent to every candidate specifically focused on that issue. Voters must ask a simple question: if he won’t answer for his position before the election, what reason is there to believe he will after?”

Crossman did respond on Wednesday.

“I don’t appreciate that statement knowing that I’ve tried to do my best to bring them to city council, to bring them before the public to make sure they get their time. What I’m really concerned about is who wrote that statement and why they wrote it that way,” said Crossman.

Public safety in the city is definitely an issue however, Crossman said, and he has a plan and a way forward if elected.

He also said he would be 100 per cent comfortable and willing to work with the coalition if he becomes the next mayor of Moncton.

Incumbent coun. Bryan Butler said he did get the survey, but it slipped through the cracks and he never submitted it.

Butler said candidates who have never been on council and the coalition doesn’t know their stance should have filled out the survey.

“I think they should, but I think I’ve spoken enough to Enough is Enough and certainly my time on council I’ve shown where I stand, especially on crime,” said Butler.

Butler agrees with the coalition’s stance that public safety in the city is a crisis.

“I’m all for what they’re attempting to do,” said Butler.

Marc Leger said he has initiated multiple conversations with several people involved with Enough is Enough that date back months, and he believes they have valid concerns that he shares.

“I am a first-time candidate. My campaign goal is to engage with as many Ward 2 residents as possible in the lead-up to May 11th. With a full-time job and two young children I have had to make sacrifices and difficult choices about where best to spend my time these past several weeks,” said Leger in an email.

If elected, Leger said he looks forward to continuing a dialogue with the coalition “because we share a common goal.”

Greg Turner said the only reason his response has not been received as of yet is due to his late entry into the election.

“I have been working diligently on my campaign and there are some things left to address, unfortunately I may have missed their deadline,” said Turner in an email. “I wholeheartedly support their efforts. As a lifelong business owner in the downtown and a 25-year resident, public safety is paramount to myself and our campaign.”

Paul Richard said he received multiple survey and email requests during the campaign.

“I couldn’t keep up and if you ask other candidates I’m sure they would say the same,” said Richard. “It wasn’t on purpose.”

Richard apologized, saying he’s human and he missed the survey, but he does believe public safety is a crisis in Moncton.

“A hundred per cent,” said Richard.

The release also said only one of 17 candidates in Dieppe responded.

Gillespie said he was surprised by the lack of response from candidates running there.

“I live in Dieppe and I know there’s a significant amount of crime there,” said Gillespie.

Eleven candidates from Riverview did not respond.

The coalition said 19 of the 26 candidates – or 73 per cent – who did respond identified public safety as a crisis that needs urgent action.

The other seven considered public safety adequately managed or said they were not sure.

On April 9, Enough is Enough held a meeting with organizations responsible for public safety, including representatives from the provincial and federal governments, the Codiac Regional RCMP, the Codiac Regional Policing Authority (CRPA) and the cities of Moncton and Dieppe and the Town of Riverview.

The coalition made four formal demands in hopes of reducing criminal activity in the Greater Moncton area.

“We’re not policemen. We’re not specialists in public safety and crime reduction. So those demands were sort of formulated by just trying to see what our objectives at the end of the day were,” Gillespie told CTV News Atlantic on April 10.

Municipal elections will be held on May 11.

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